Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below sets out the proportion of payroll and non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010/10 to 2014/15. Data for 2015/16 will be available in due course. YEARProportion on PayrollProportion off payroll2010-1198.64%1.36%2011-1298.74%1.26%2012-1398.28%1.72%2013-1497.22%2.78%2014-1596.43%3.57% Non-payroll covers staff categorised as consultants and contingent labour i.e. interim managers, specialist contractors and agency staff. The increase in off-payroll engagements can be attributed to factors such as:The merger of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Driving Standards Agency into a single organisation (Driver & Vehicle StandardsAgency). This required certain roles to be temporarily filled by non-permanent employees.Increased activity reflecting the Government’s investment in roads, rail and HS2, which has required the Department to bring in skills which were not available within the Department.

Department for Transport: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not have any civil servants that are paid through limited companies.

Department for Transport: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The final figure will be published in the Department’s 2015/16 Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

Air Traffic Control: Strikes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the cost to the EU economy of strikes by air traffic controllers across Europe in 2014 and 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has made no such estimate and does not have comprehensive data on how airlines adjusted their schedules during the strikes, or the impacts on passengers.

Department for Transport: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Transport in Scotland is in large part a devolved matter. However, the Secretary of State has met members of the Scottish Parliament in London and other Department for Transport ministers have visited Scotland on the following dates: Robert Goodwill 5 November 2015 and 21 March 2016Claire Perry 8 January 2016Andrew Jones 7 September 2016 The visits included meetings on a variety of transport-related issues.

Sheffield Supertram

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train scheme has been delayed.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on delays to the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train scheme.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, the joint funders of the tram train pilot project, have been advised that Network Rail has initiated a review of the current programme of works needed to adapt their infrastructure to operate the tram train vehicles between Meadowhall South and Rotherham Parkgate. The Department understands that Network Rail has encountered significant issues with the approval of new bespoke electrification equipment needed to operate the tram train vehicles. The joint funders are clearly disappointed by this further delay. The current programme showed delivery of these works by early spring 2017, however until the outcome of the Network Rail review is known, no further details can be provided.

Cycleways

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage more cyclists to use cycle lanes rather than cycling on the main highway; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Cycle tracks, where provided, offer cyclists an alternative to cycling in the carriageway. However, the decision to use a lane or not will depend on the individual. We have no plans to make to make the use of lanes mandatory.

M25: Road Traffic

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce congestion on the M25 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Highways England is developing road schemes at several locations to help reduce congestion on the M25 including: Upgrade of the M25 between junction 10 (A3) and junction 16 (M40) to a smart motorway, with start of construction before the end of 2019/20.A far reaching study to look into the south-west quadrant of the M25 to address the increasing demand on this section.An upgrade of junctions 10, 25 and 28 to have started construction by the end of 2019/20.

M1: Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the imposition of 50mph average speed limits on three stretches of M1 motorway, one in Northamptonshire and two in Leicestershire, were carried out consecutively rather than concurrently to avoid delays for motorists; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Highways England has carefully planned the roadworks on the M1 to ensure that works are carried out as concurrently as possible. This is to reduce the impact on motorists wherever possible, whilst delivering increasing levels of investment to improve the motorway network and enable economic growth.

Bicycles: Registration

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of registering bicycles with the DVLA.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Our assessment of the registration of bicycles indicates it would require a licensing process similar to that for cars and motorcycles. As there are in excess of 20 million bicycles in Great Britain and many change hands through second hand sales, keeping track of this would be difficult and expensive. The costs of its administration would far outweigh the revenue received and indeed any benefits received from it.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on his plans to limit motorway roadworks to no more than stretches of two miles.

Andrew Jones: We are undertaking the biggest investment in roads in a generation to deliver better journeys for motorists. Highways England’s top priority is maintaining the safety of all motorists and road workers whilst keeping disruption to a minimum. Highways England, as a general principle, aim to reduce the lengths of roadworks to a maximum of 10 miles, shorter if possible and if safety allows. They will also be carrying out trials to raise the speed limit through roadworks to 55mph where it is safe to do so in order to help minimise queues. These changes could come into effect on many new schemes from 2017 depending on the outcome of the trials.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of flights in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector were undertaken by (a) Airbus EC225 and (b) AS332 helicopters airframes in each year since 2007-08.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As the independent aviation safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), only records information on flights above a certain weight threshold. The CAA data below includes the number of departures and arrivals on both AS332 SUPER PUMA and EUROCOPTER EC225 (H225) aircraft operated between UK airports and Oil Rigs in each year since 2007.   200720082009201020112012201320142015AS33238200298552336018269166141586719960105512866EC2257785102381200814942181541419111831245815418

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of workforce confidence in the safe operation of commercial helicopter transport in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK’s independent safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) takes seriously concerns raised in the safe operation of commercial helicopter transport. The CAA currently leads the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) which seeks to drive through safety improvements. The Group is represented across industry and includes pilot and workforce representatives from key organisations to facilitate dialogue between helicopter operators, workforce representatives, manufacturers and regulators. The OHSAG has made significant safety improvements, including prohibiting helicopter flights in the most severe sea conditions.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of (a) Airbus EC225 and (b) AS332 helicopters have been withdrawn from commercial service in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector since the fatal incident off the coast of Bergen, Norway on 29 April 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been working very closely with the Norwegian CAA following the Airbus EC225LP incident on the 29th April. Shortly after the accident, the CAA introduced restrictions to Airbus Helicopters EC225LP to prevent operations for commercial flights by UK operators. On 11th of May, these restrictions were extended to include the AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter. Following a report by Norwegian Air Accident Investigators on 1st June, the CAA further extended these restrictions to prohibit all flights by these helicopters until further information is available.

Ryanair

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations to Ryanair on the cost of amending boarding passes and other travel documents.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) continue to emphasise to the airlines the importance of compliance with ticket transparency obligations, ensuring that terms and conditions (including any administration fees and charges) are clear to passengers when they choose between airlines. To enhance consumer protection in this area, the CAA will start work on unfair contract terms with the airlines this summer, in accordance with the CAA’s Strategic Plan 2016-2021. The work will include a review of the airlines’ terms and conditions (Conditions of Carriage) with the aim of ensuring the rights and obligations of the consumers and businesses are fair and balanced and consumers are not being penalised by unfair contract terms. The administration fees the industry currently charges are part of the terms and conditions and as such, will form a part of this work. The Government supports this work and will follow the progress with interest.

Walking

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of transport projects delivered from the Local Growth Fund have been dedicated to walking to date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: To date, around 36% of transport projects in Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Local Growth Fund programmes are solely or in part dedicated to walking projects.

Rescue Services: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many coastguard search and rescue helicopters are available for operations in Scotland.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are four Her Majesty’s Coastguard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter bases in Scotland, with a SAR helicopter operating at each base 24 hours a day. The speed and range of the aircraft means that HM Coastguard has the ability to surge up to five Coastguard SAR helicopters to a single incident in Scotland, should it be necessary to do so.

Rescue Services: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the coastguard response time was to the incident off Portobello in Edinburgh in the early hours of 15 May 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HM Coastguard were notified by the Scottish Ambulance Service of two persons in the water off Portobello in Edinburgh at 0237 GMT on 15 May 2016. The Coastguard Rescue Teams from Fisherrow and Queensferry were tasked at 0241 GMT and were on scene at 0257 GMT. The two persons in the water were recovered to dry land by the Police at 0304 GMT.

Public Transport: Disability

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from local transport authorities on the implementation of audio-visual systems on public transport in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: I am not aware of any representations having been made to the Department by local transport authorities over the past twelve months with respect to the installation of audio/visual equipment on public transport services. Accessible on-board information can be key to giving many people the confidence to travel by bus, and I encourage operators to consider the benefits of providing it for all their customers.

Rescue Services: Standards

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average response time is for coastguard personnel on emergency callouts; and what the longest response times were in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Each incident involving a Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) is different in its context given geography, terrain, weather conditions, prevailing traffic conditions and the availability of individual volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers and other responders. Against that background the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not collate or maintain data in respect of cumulative response times either locally or nationally. However it can provide specific response times for specific incidents. In a typical year there are between 12,000 and 14,000 incidents to which a CRT will be required to respond.

Transport: Thornbury and Yate

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on transport infrastructure projects in Thornbury and Yate constituency in each year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Andrew Jones: Data on spend on transport infrastructure projects is not available at the level of Thornbury and Yate, however figures are available for the South West for total public transport spend, listed in Table 1. Table 1 Total Public Transport Spend for the South West£million 2010-11 outturn2011-12 outturn2012-13 outturn2013-14 outturn2014-15 outturnTotal1,1159979879281,047Current442396368295279Capital673601619633767Note: includes spend by Central Government, Local Government, and Public Corporations  The figures above include all public transport spending including local transport infrastructure. South Gloucestershire Council is responsible for local transport infrastructure in Thornbury and Yate, including local roads. The funding allocated to South Gloucestershire Council for local highways infrastructure and other transport schemes between 2010-11 and 2015-16 is listed in Table 2. Table 2YearIntegrated Transport block £mHighways Maintenance block £m2010/111.69014.334*2011/121.603**4.3732012/131.4664.6322013/141.4665.108***2014/152.0614.549***2015/161.2775.080Total9.56338.076* * in 2010/11 South Gloucestershire formed part of the Greater Bristol (Joint Plan) area and it is not possible to breakdown the maintenance block figure for that year.** includes the top up announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement.*** includes the top up announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement. South Gloucestershire Council have been successful in gaining the following funding for transport infrastructure projects, some of which will have benefitted the Thornbury and Yate constituency: £13.950m from the Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund in March 2015 for major maintenance of the A4174 Avon Ring Road between the A38 at Filton and the A4 at Hicks Gate. The scheme will involve structural maintenance of three significant structures, extending the life of the existing carriageway, as well as providing footways and cycleway maintenance and enhancements. The Department for Transport has invested £175.8m in six Local Major Transport schemes to provide bus rapid transport across the West of England which included £51.1m in 2015 to provide a route between South Gloucestershire and Bristol, this is now under construction with an estimated opening date of August 2017. The West of England Partnership has allocated the following from the Local Growth Fund to transport schemes across the West of England, which will benefit the Thornbury and Yate constituency: Sustainable Transport Programme - £20m for transport capital measures to make it easier to walk, cycle, and travel by public transport West of England local pinch points programme - £4m for 3 schemes at congestion hotspots and provide new and improved access to key economic sites.West of England minor transport schemes package £0.5m - to improve highway infrastructure and network management. MetroWest Phase 1 £53.4m- to reopen the Portishead rail line and provide better local rail services in the West of England. MetroWest Phases 2 £3.2m towards a rail scheme to reopen the Henbury line, with potential new stations and improved local rail services in the West of England.

Road Traffic

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 15 of his Department's Cycle Delivery Plan, published in October 2014, what progress has been made on his Department's review of road traffic law.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government is aware of concerns about a number of sentencing issues and is committed to making sure sentencing for driving crimes is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation in due course which will look at driving offences and penalties.

Cycling

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of transport projects delivered from the Local Growth Fund have been dedicated to cycling to date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: To date, around 36% of transport projects in Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Local Growth Fund programmes are solely or in part dedicated to cycling projects.

Railways: Greater London

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisation (a) was responsible and (b) carried out the modelling on punctuality and reliability of the combined impact of the infrastructure restrictions at London Bridge, the diversion of Thameslink services and the increased use of London Victoria as a terminus; how much that modelling cost; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Network Rail is responsible for the national rail timetable and modelled the timetable changes associated with the redevelopment of London Bridge station. We do not have information on the cost of individual modelling exercises.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the redacted Govia Thameslink Railway remedial plan, dated 12 February 2016, was not made publicly available until 26 May 2016.

Claire Perry: There is a process in place with regard to the publication of documents and any redaction of information. Only once the redactions have been agreed by all parties, including the Department, can publication take place.

Railways: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent officials of his Department are working on the invitation to tender for the West Midlands rail franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: There are 15.5 full time equivalent officials of the Department working on the invitation to tender for the West Midlands rail franchise. This count includes two full time secondments within the team but does not include advisers contracted to work on the invitation to tender.

Railway Stations: Disability

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to decide which stations will be affected by Network Rail's decision to defer Access to All works from Control Period 5 into Control Period 6; and how the outcome of that decision will be published.

Claire Perry: We will be responding to the Hendy Report later this year. In the meantime, we are working with Network Rail to identify how Access for All projects will be delivered and when. The decision about Access for All schemes will be made later this summer. These will be set out in updated versions of the Enhancement Delivery Plans currently available Network Rail’s website.

Railway Stations: Disability

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received on the recommendation of Sir Peter Hendy's report published in November 2015, on replanning of Network Rail's Investment Programme to defer Access to All works from Control Period 5 to Control Period 6.

Claire Perry: Over one hundred responses have been received to my Department’s consultation on the recommendations of Sir Peter Hendy’s report, a number of which reference Access for All works. My Department is committed to publishing a report summarising these responses and decisions made in light of them later this year. In addition to the consultation my Department has received letters from a wide range of stakeholders discussing a variety of Access for All subjects, a number of whom Ministers and officials have also met.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mr Mark Francois: My Department spent the following amounts on non-payroll staff in 2015-16, as will be reported in our Annual Report and Accounts:Cost of contingent labour (agency staff and contractors) - £2,858,046Cost of consultants/consultancy - £511,460

Communities and Local Government: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Mr Mark Francois: No civil servants in my Department are paid through limited companies.

Communities and Local Government: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Mr Mark Francois: Details of payroll and non-payroll staffing in my Department are published on Gov.uk and in the Annual Report and Accounts.

Communities and Local Government: Domestic Visits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2016 to Question 38323, whether an annual record is kept by his Department of locations visited by Ministers and officials of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: No separate annual record of locations visited by Ministers and officials is kept by this department. However, details of Ministers meetings with external organisations are published online as part of our transparency agenda. Details can be found at:http://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&publication type=transparency-data

Fracking

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing clear national planning guidelines for the (a) maximum density of shale gas well sites per square mile and (b) minimum distances of such sites from towns and villages.

James Wharton: The planning system currently requires shale well site density and distance to settlements to be considered where relevant in plan making and decisions on planning proposals, taking into account local context. Were limits to be set in national planning guidance, they may not provide appropriate protections in some contexts, or rule out otherwise acceptable development in others.For minerals such as shale gas, local authority mineral plans should set out environmental criteria for the assessment of applications and take into account cumulative effect of multiple impacts from individual sites and/ or from a number of sites in a locality. Planning law requires that decisions must be taken in accordance with the development plan for the local authority, including any relevant mineral plan policies, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.In all cases, national planning policy must also be taken into account when applications are determined. This is clear that when a planning permission is granted for mineral development, including shale gas, there should be no unacceptable adverse impacts on the natural and historic environment, or on human health. It also ensures relevant cumulative effects are considered.

EU Grants and Loans: Cornwall

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what change there was in the amount the EU Commission proposed to make available in structural funds to Cornwall for the period 2014-2020 and the period 2007-2013; and what steps his Department took to limit such changes.

James Wharton: On 17 April 2014, the former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, set out the methodology for how the UK's Structural Funds were to be allocated in his letter ‘European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund: UK allocations 2014 to 2020’.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf

EU Grants and Loans

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the level of structural funding that the EU Commission will allocate to each region in England in the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the level of structural funding that the EU Commission will allocate to Cornwall in the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

James Wharton: The post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework has not been proposed.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many unauthorised encampments were recorded in each county and metropolitan borough in 2015 in England.

Brandon Lewis: The biannual Traveller Caravan Count includes figures for the number of traveller caravans on unauthorised encampments in each local authority area in England.The figures for the January and July 2015 counts can be found via the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/traveller-caravan-count-january-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/traveller-caravan-count-july-2015

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received from each (a) local authority, (b) Police and Crime Commissioner and (c) Police Chief Constable seeking further powers in relation to responsibilities to stop unauthorised encampments in the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: We regularly receive correspondence from individual local authorities and MPs, concerning the powers available to enforcement agencies and operation of the planning system. The Government takes the issue of unauthorised encampments and associated problems seriously and will continue to keep it under review.

Building Regulations: Fires

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the guidance provided in Approved Document B to the Building Regulations 2010.

James Wharton: My Department is considering a number of issues related to the Building Regulations and building control system matters. We will make an announcement about our plans in due course.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) eviction notices and (b) legal action related to the clearance of sites of unauthorised encampments in England in 2015.

Brandon Lewis: Enforcement action against unauthorised encampments is primarily a matter for local authorities, landowners and the police. The Department does not collect information centrally on the total costs of such clearances.

Local Growth Deals: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional resources to the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership to assist them in the key role envisioned for them in the independent report, Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited, published on 7 June 2016.

James Wharton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Green Belt

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many houses were built on green belt land in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications were made by developers for housebuilding on green belt land in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the numbers of planning applications made in the Green Belt.The department’s Land Use Change Statistics estimate that 3% of new residential addresses created in 2014-15 were in the Green Belt; unchanged from 2013-14. This equates to an estimated 3,900 homes – 2.9998% of the total homes built in the Green Belt in 2013-14, and 4,600 homes – 2.9997% of the total homes built in 2014-15.The figures in the 13/14 publication are the first in the new series and so are not directly comparable to the previous Land Use Change Statistics which last published data covering the year 2011. Figures for 2011 and prior are available from the department’s website.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-in-england-2011

Housing: Construction

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) unsuccessful and (b) successful applications there were for planning permission for residential homes in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: We publish statistics on our website concerning dwellings. In the results attached we have used figures from ‘Table 2.5 s78 planning appeals – dwellings decided & allowed’ on the Planning Inspectorate Statistics page. Below is a link to this page.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-statistics



Number of s78 planning appeals for dwellings
(Word Document, 20.73 KB)

Kingston upon Hull City Council

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 June 2016, Official Report, column 825, what the source is for the comments attributed to the Leader of Hull City Council.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The proportion of Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff who were a) payroll and b) non-payroll in each financial year (taken on 31 March each year) from 2012-13 to 2015-16 is listed below. We are unable to provide the requested information for 2010 – 11 and 2011 – 12 because non-payroll data is not available for those years. We are unable to confirm the figures for 2015-16 until the 2015-16 Accounts have been signed off and the National Audit Office has completed its audit. March 2013 Payroll:98.4%Non-payroll:1.6%  March 2014Payroll:98.3%Non-payroll:1.7%  March 2015 Payroll:97.8%Non-payroll:2.2%

Yemen: Military Intervention

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the immediate establishment of an international, impartial investigation into repeated international humanitarian law violations by all parties to the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government has been clear that we want to see thorough and conclusive investigations where allegations have been made against parties to the conflict in Yemen regarding international humanitarian law. The Saudi Arabian government has its own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail on how they investigate such incidents earlier this year and that any lessons learned would be acted upon. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to comply with international humanitarian law, including to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Saudi Arabia and other Coalition states in Yemen cooperate with the UN to develop and implement an action plan to end and prevent violations against children.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and Saudi Arabia on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter.

Yemen: Cluster Munitions

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which sources independent of the Saudi government are assessed by the UK Government regarding the alleged use of cluster munitions by the Saudi led coalition in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government considers a range of information regarding the conduct of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition in Yemen. This includes UN sources, INGO reports, open sources such as social media, and our internal government sources which includes UK Defence Intelligence reports. This comes from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. The UK ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 4 May 2010 and, in line with our obligations under the Convention, we have always made it clear to the Saudi Arabians that we cannot support the use of cluster munitions in any circumstances and we continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33935, whether the UK Government considers that the Saudi Arabian-led coalition forces have committed any violation of International Humanitarian Law during the Yemen conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that lessons will be acted upon. The key test for our continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to IHL is whether there is a clear risk that those weapons might be used in a serious violation of IHL. Having regard to all the information available to us, we assess that this test has not been met.

Israel: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his EU counterparts on the compatibility of recent sentencing decisions by the Israeli judiciary with the human rights standards set in the EU-Israeli Association Agreement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have no plans to hold such discussions.

Iran: Christianity

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Iranian government on the treatment of (a) Maryam Nasim Naghash Zargaran and (b) other Christian prisoners in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly raise our concerns on human rights issues, both in London and Tehran, including our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many representations he received from his (a) Yemeni and (b) Saudi Arabian counterparts in each of the last 12 months on the conflict in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) is in regular contact with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Al Jubeir regarding the situation in Yemen. During his recent tour of the Gulf, the Foreign Secretary held constructive discussions with all six GCC countries, underlining the UK’s commitment to finding a peaceful resolution and working in partnership with key regional actors to achieve this. I also regularly engage with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and President Hadi to encourage commitment to the political process and the UK Special Envoy to Yemen, Sir Alan Duncan, visited the region in April and May to deliver messages to key Yemeni and regional interlocutors. Yemen remains a top priority for the UK Government and we are committed to working towards a durable peace.

Yemen: Civilians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's recent estimate is of the number of civilian casualties in the conflict in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen estimates that over 6,000 people have been killed and over 30,000 people injured since the conflict escalated in March 2015. A political solution remains the best way to bring this conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people to an end. We continue to urge all those involved in the UN-facilitated peace talks to find a way to bring peace and stability to Yemen which its people deserve.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many representations he has made to his (a) Yemeni and (b) Saudi Arabian counterpart in each of the last twelve months on the conflict in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) is in regular contact with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Al Jubeir regarding the situation in Yemen. During his recent tour of the Gulf, the Foreign Secretary held constructive discussions with all six GCC countries, underlining the UK’s commitment to finding a peaceful resolution and working in partnership with key regional actors to achieve this. I also regularly engage with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and President Hadi to encourage commitment to the political process and the UK Special Envoy to Yemen, Sir Alan Duncan, visited the region in April and May to deliver messages to key Yemeni and regional interlocutors. Yemen remains a top priority for the UK Government and we are committed to working towards a durable peace.

Iran: Human Rights

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Iranian counterpart on the protection of Iranian human rights activists in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



We repeatedly call on the Iranian Government to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians and will continue to do so. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) most recently raised the issue with Foreign Minister Zarif when they met on 17 May.

Marine Protected Areas

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department has made on supporting the establishment of marine protected areas in the high seas.

James Duddridge: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The UK led negotiations within the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources which resulted in the establishment of the world’s first high-seas Marine Protected Area (within the Antarctic Treaty area) and supports the establishment of further Marine Protected Areas within the area covered by the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The UK is also a leading member of the OSPAR Commission which has designated seven Marine Protected Areas in the high seas of the North-East Atlantic and works closely with other regional and international organisations to manage these.The UK supports, and is fully engaged, in the work at the United Nations seeking an agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity and the need to establish a mechanism to deliver marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

British Overseas Territories: Seas and Oceans

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which departmental budget is supporting the Government's blue belt policy to protect marine biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories.

James Duddridge: The delivery of the UK Overseas Territories Blue-Belt policy is a cross-Government initiative and as such will receive cross-departmental funding.

British Overseas Territories: Seas and Oceans

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to publish a strategy for its blue belt policy to protect marine biodiversity in British Overseas Territories.

James Duddridge: The overarching policy framework is currently being developed by Government in consultation with the UK Overseas Territories, with the objective of delivering a demonstrable increase in the protection of marine biodiversity. The UK Overseas Territories are constitutionally responsible for the conservation of their natural environments and as such will develop bespoke solutions, where necessary, to implement this policy.

St Helena: Treaties

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has extended to the British Overseas Territories of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha the (a) International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969, (b) 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, (c) 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, (d) International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001, (e) International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990 and (f) 1997 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973.

James Duddridge: Only the 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage has been extended to St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Information on all treaties that have been extended to the UK Overseas Territories can be found at: http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/

Burundi: Politics and Government

Joanna  Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Burundi on (a) ending political violence and unrest and (b) alleged extra-judicial killings, torture, lack of freedom of expression and other human rights abuses in that country.

James Duddridge: I am extremely concerned about the situation in Burundi. During my visit to Bujumbura in December 2015 I emphasised to the Burundian Government that killings, torture and other abuses must stop and that they must take action to end impunity. I underlined the need for media, opposition and civil society to be allowed to operate freely and that all sides must renounce violence and participate fully in the dialogue. I repeated these messages in my letter to the Burundian Foreign Minister in May. Our Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region reiterated these points in meetings with Burundian ministers in Bujumbura last week and during her visit to Arusha in May for the second round of the dialogue facilitated by former Tanzanian President Mkapa.

St Helena: Fisheries

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government aid to the fishing sector on St Helena supports pole and line fishing methods.

James Duddridge: UK Government support has helped the St Helena Fisheries Cooperation become a member of the International Pole and Line Foundation and the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Safe Tuna Monitoring Programme.

Ascension Island: Seas and Oceans

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on establishing a fully-protected marine reserve in the waters of Ascension Island.

James Duddridge: Ascension Island Government currently maintains a closed area of approximately 220,000 square kilometres to commercial fishing. Working with a coalition of academic institutions, scientists and non-governmental organisations, the Island Government is currently developing a scientific roadmap to determine the location of the final Marine Protected Area ahead of formal designation. Scientific research is underway to assist in this process and once collected and analysed will inform the final designation, which is on track to occur within the next few years.

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands: Rodents

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether all government vessels are checked by rodent detection dogs before visiting locations where rodents have been eradicated in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

James Duddridge: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands operates a wide range of peer-reviewed rodent detection and mitigation measures which seek to prevent rodents from entering the Territory. It works closely with those organisations with a footprint on South Georgia to ensure best practice guidelines are implemented. At present these measures do not include the use of a rodent detection dog, although the feasibility of this is under active consideration with relevant stakeholders as part of wider discussions to continually improve biosecurity.

South Georgia: Rodents

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many rodent reintroduction incidents have occurred on South Georgia since the commencement of the rodent eradication project.

James Duddridge: There has been one confirmed sighting of a rodent in October 2014. It was found in an area baited as part of the rodent eradication project. The source of the rodent is not known. On its sighting a pre-prepared plan was enacted. After intensive monitoring of the area, no signs of rodents have been seen, and it is believed the response was effective and the area remains rodent free.

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next review of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area is planned to take place.

James Duddridge: The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area was established in the Maritime Zone in 2012 and revised in June 2013 to include further protection measures. The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands will undertake reviews every five years, with the next review taking place in 2018.

Northern Ireland Office

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will estimate the amount of structural funding that the EU Commission will allocate to Northern Ireland in the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what change there was in the amount the EU Commission proposed to make available in structural funds to Northern Ireland for the period 2014 to 2020 from the period 2007 to 2013; what steps her Department took to limit such change; and if she will estimate the level of such funding that Northern Ireland will be allocated after 2020.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The UK’s 2014-20 allocation for Structural Funds was 5 per cent less than for the 2007-13 period. The Government therefore allocated the UK's nations an equivalent 5 per cent less for 2014-20 than in the previous period. Northern Ireland’s allocation for 2014-20 is €513.4m. The post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework has not been proposed.

UK Membership of EU

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what preliminary work her Department has carried out in preparation for the possibility of a vote to leave the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government believes that the UK is stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU.The Northern Ireland Office has not undertaken any work in preparation for the possibility of a vote to leave the EU.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of cost to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland of the EU referendum.

Mr Ben Wallace: The European Union Referendum (Counting Officers’ and Regional Counting Officers’ Charges) Regulations 2016 sets out a Maximum Recoverable Amount for Northern Ireland of £3,292,686. The cost of the referendum will be charged to the Consolidated Fund.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Chief Electoral Officer on proposed industrial action by electoral office staff in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: I have regular discussions with the Chief Electoral Officer, including regarding the recent industrial action.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: We strongly value the work and commitment of Electoral Office staff in managing electoral registration and elections in Northern Ireland. The introduction of digital registration to Northern Ireland later this year will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom and means that now is the right time to consider how services can be delivered as effectively as possible in the future.

Attorney General

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Attorney General, how and why the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) joined the Metropolitan Police in announcing that retired police sergeant Gurpal Virdi was charged with misconduct in public office and with indecent assault on a person under 16 years; what publicity the CPS recorded as resulting at the time; when the memorandum of a conviction proved 1 April 1987 for offences on 7 November 1986 of a defendant born on 5 September 1970 with informant or complainant recorded as PC Markwick came to the attention of the CPS; what steps were taken to put right the effect of the wrong statement; when those steps were taken; and what the results of those steps were.

Jeremy Wright: A press release was issued by the Metropolitan Police Service which stated that the complainant was under 16. The CPS was not a party to this release and did not issue any other release. The CPS does not retain records of publicity resulting at the time. When the case was reviewed in 2014 for charging, the complainant and the witness clearly stated that the complainant had been 15 when the incident took place in 1986. In addition Mr Virdi also said in interview that the complainant had been 15 at the time of the incident. The police summary stated that the complainant was 15. However the complainant’s date of birth and the date of his arrest were known and this mistake should not have been made. The CPS was supplied with the memorandum of conviction referred to on 17 September 2014.The indictment was formally amended thereafter. No steps were taken to publicise the fact that the charge was later amended in open court to remove the assertion that the complainant was under 16.

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Attorney General, what the cost is to the Crown Prosecution Service of obtaining a transcript of the Southwark Crown Court trial of charges against Gurpal Virdi.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has requested an estimate of the cost of obtaining a transcript and has been informed that it will take 10 days for this to be supplied. Once the estimate is received the CPS will write to the Honorable Member to inform him of the figure.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU Referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Joseph Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 9 June 2016 to Question UIN 38811.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of staff of (a) his Department (b) the Research Councils, (c) the Skills Funding Agency, (d) the Insolvency Service, (e) UK Shared Business Services Limited, (f) Innovate UK and (g) the Student Loans Company are (i) female and (ii) from an ethnic minority.

Joseph Johnson: The proportion of employees working in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ, UK Shared Business Services Limited, Student Loans Company, Skills Funding Agency and Innovate UK who are (i) female and (ii) from an ethnic minority are shown in the tables below.BIS HQFemale51%UK Shared Business Services LimitedFemale59%Student Loans CompanyFemale54%Innovate UKFemale46%Skills Funding AgencyFemale57% BIS HQFrom an ethnic minority10%UK Shared Business Services LimitedFrom an ethnic minority12%Student Loans CompanyFrom an ethnic minority7.7%Innovate UKFrom an ethnic minority7%Skills Funding AgencyFrom an ethnic minority15% The data shown above is based on all employees as at 31 March 2016.The department does not hold centrally, data in relation to the Research Councils or the Insolvency Service. I have asked these bodies to respond directly to the Honourable Member.



Research Council response
(PDF Document, 149.83 KB)




Insolvency Service response
(PDF Document, 35.84 KB)

Universities: Admissions

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the higher education entry rate data, published in December 2015, what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of entry to university from young people in (a) Bristol South constituency and (b) other areas that have a low rate of university entry.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background.In the last academic year we saw record entry rates to higher education, including among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.Since 2010, we have established a stronger framework, with increased responsibility placed on higher education institutions to widen participation. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up from £404m in 2009/10.In addition, we will take steps through the Higher Education and Research Bill to widen access and participation further. This will include strengthening the system of access agreements, and introducing new transparency duties on higher education institutions. We have also asked Universities UK to form a Social Mobility Advisory Group to set out what further steps the higher education sector itself can take to promote social mobility.

Universities: Admissions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that increases in the number of foreign, high-fee-paying students does not jeopardise access by UK students to places at their local university.

Joseph Johnson: International students are not in competition for places with British students. The UK is the second most popular destination for international students, and those coming here to study count towards our education exports. International students pay fees to fund their places, and also bring other benefits including providing diversity on our campuses.

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department's budget allocation was for reducing the number of young people who were classified as not in employment, education or training in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2015-16.

Nick Boles: Young and unemployed people are prioritised in the skills funding system through entitlements to free training, as well as specific programmes and initiatives, such as Traineeships and the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers. The Adult Education Budget is not ring-fenced for any provision and providers have the freedom and flexibility to put on provision to meet the needs of learners and local labour markets.

Apprentices

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many part-time apprenticeships have been taken up in each of the last three years; and what steps he is taking to (a) widen access to apprenticeships and (b) promote the option of part-time apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: Statistical data on apprenticeships broken down by part-time/full-time hours is not available.Apprenticeships are full-time jobs; therefore an apprentice should work at least 30 hours per week. In exceptional circumstances, such as where the apprentice has caring responsibilities, a minimum of 16 hours per week may be agreed between the apprentice and the employer. In circumstances where the apprentice works fewer than 30 hours per week, the duration of the apprenticeship must be extended in proportion so that the minimum requirements on duration are still met.Apprenticeships are safeguarded by the same equality duties under the Equality Act (2010) as any other employment. We want quality apprenticeships to be accessible to a diverse range of people and encourage the use of the range of reasonable adjustments available so apprentices with disabilities (who can apply for Access to Work funding) can demonstrate what they know and can do. We are also supporting care leavers’ transition into work, including considering how apprenticeships and study programmes including traineeships can support them. From 2016/17 employers taking on care leavers aged 19+ as apprentices will be entitled to the full funding rate paid for 16-18 year old apprentices.In May we launched a communications campaign promoting the benefits of apprenticeships to young people, their influencers and employers. Schools are required to provide pupils with independent careers guidance, including on apprenticeships. They will be required to collaborate with colleges, university technical colleges and other training providers, in putting careers options in place.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what the evidential basis is for the decision to reduce the number of policy roles from 2,000 to 1,500 in his Department; and how many of those 1,500 staff will be allocated to which policy areas.

Anna Soubry: The decision was taken as part of our commitment to creating a department which is simpler, smaller, and better by 2020, including changing our business model and reducing our operating costs and associated headcount by 30 – 40%.The policy landscape will evolve over time and so we are unable to determine now exactly how the 1,500 policy staff we will have in 2020 will be deployed. What we do know is that as we get smaller, we need to become more flexible, more agile and more easily re-deployable to emerging priorities. Specifically, we will need to be able to move policy staff more flexibly between different policy areas (reflecting business demands) and to create more flexible responses to short term pressures.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36974, on Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many policy staff are based at each of those 14 locations.

Anna Soubry: The number of employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) headquarters, working in policy roles as at 31 May 2016, are shown in the table below. Some details have changed since the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36974 because of staff movements and people leaving under Voluntary Exit schemes.Policy staff includes all people working in policy directorates as well as those directly involved in the policy making process including, for example, Private Office, analysis, external communications, and legal services (other than those that operate on a local basis such as prosecutors and investigation offices). It excludes corporate functions such as Finance, HR, Digital and Commercial, and regionally based staff such as BIS Local.LocationNumber of employeesBillingham Queensway House, West Precinct, Billingham TS23 2NF1Birmingham  Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B2 4BU1Bristol 2 Rivergate, Bristol BS1 6EH5Cambridge  Eastbrook House, Shaftsbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8DU1Cardiff  Companies House, Crown Way, Cardiff CF14 3UZ31Coventry Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry CV1 2WT1Darlington Queensway House, West Precinct, Darlington TS23 2NF5Gateshead St George's House, Kingsway, Gateshead NE11 0NA2Leeds 1 City Walk, Leeds LS11 9DA1London 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET1363Manchester 3 Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester M1 2WD2Nottingham Apex Court, City Link, Nottingham NG2 4LA4Sheffield 2 St Paul's Place, 125 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2FJ222Warrington/Daresbury  Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Warrington WA4 4AD10

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Vacancies

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many live vacancies his Department currently has for policy roles.

Joseph Johnson: The number of policy vacancies in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ currently advertised on Civil Service Jobs is 30.

Qualifications: Lancashire

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire are qualified to National Qualifications Framework level 2 or above.

Nick Boles: In 2015, it is estimated that 32,900 people aged 16-64 living in Burnley held qualifications at level 2 or above.In 2015, it is estimated that 523,300 people aged 16-64 living in Lancashire held qualifications at level 2 or above.These estimates use the Annual Population Survey (APS) which could potentially underestimate overall levels of attainment at level 2 or above. The Department produces national estimates of attainment (link below) using a methodology that enhances the use of the Labour Force Survey data, which forms part of the APS estimates provided, as well as matching to administrative data. This methodology was introduced because research demonstrated some people do not report some of their smaller qualifications.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-heldMore detailed information on the level of qualification held by residents of individual Local Authorities is available from the Annual Population Survey at the link below.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/profiles.asp

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Joseph Johnson: The proportion of people working in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ who were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff are shown in the table below.Year ending 31 MarchPayrollNon payroll201290%10%201389%11%201490%10%201597%3%201698%2% The data for 2012, 2013 and 2014 also includes people working in UKTI.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Joseph Johnson: All employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are paid via the BIS payroll.

Further Education: Mergers

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37459, whether he plans to provide additional funding or other assistance to college governing bodies which need to assess the effect of changes on groups protected by the Equalities Act 2010; what estimate he has made of the average cost to colleges of making such an assessment; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to his Department of conducting a single equality impact assessment on its policy of merging further education colleges.

Nick Boles: The Government’s policy is to facilitate a review of post 16 education and training, with each area establishing the best structures to offer high quality provision to meet the current and future needs of all learners and employers within the local area; this may or may not involve institutions merging.We have discussed and agreed with a wide range of stakeholders an approach to ensuring equality is considered by colleges as part of any restructuring and will shortly be publishing guidance on this as part of a wider package of support about area review implementation.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016 on BIS consultation, HCWS30, whether his Department considered alternative solutions to closure of his Department's Sheffield office at St Paul's Place to address the strain on organisational effectiveness caused by split-site working.

Joseph Johnson: During the consultation period the Executive Board listened to views from staff, unions, as well as local stakeholders about the Combined Policy Headquarters model. It considered various alternatives, including options which maintained split site working in different ways, before coming to its final conclusion.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016 on BIS consultation, HCWS30, how his Department plans to ensure organisational effectiveness in the operation of the proposed Business, Innovation and Skills regional presence.

Joseph Johnson: BIS2020 plans have always included a strong regional footprint as part of the Department’s location strategy. A regional presence will exist through the Department’s BIS Local offices, as well as where it is necessary to support service delivery at a local, rather than a national, level. Around 80% of the staff the Department pays for will continue to work outside of London, as part of the regional presence and in our business centres.The operational effectiveness of our regional presence will continue, as now, to be managed through the Department’s business planning process and the sharing of best practice as well as through the strengthening of departmental governance by including partner CEOs on the Executive Board sub-committees.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016 on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the maximum potential savings that could be made by reducing headcount in the (a) London office at 1 Victoria Street and (b) Sheffield office at St Paul's Place through natural attrition, vacancy management and recruitment freezes.

Joseph Johnson: In looking at potential paybill savings from reducing headcount, the department estimated that up to £15m paybill costs could be saved as a result of reducing to around 1,500 policy posts between now and 2020.Around £6.5m annual paybill costs would be from headcount reductions arising from the decision to close the Sheffield office.The remaining paybill savings would come from a combination of natural turnover, vacancy management and recruitment freezes in 1 Victoria Street between now and 2020.

Social Security Benefits: Adoption

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason self-employed adoptive parents are excluded from the financial support offered to other workers to allow them to take full leave and settle an adopted child from the care system into their family.

Nick Boles: Society benefits from parents being able to take time off work to care for their children whilst remaining in employment. Employed adopters have a statutory entitlement to Adoption Leave and Pay (subject to eligibility requirements) on the basis that individual employers would otherwise not offer socially optimal levels of leave and pay.However, self-employed adopters can decide how much time off to take. Since affordability may limit the time away from work that some self-employed adopters can take, statutory adoption guidance says that Local Authorities should consider making a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance in cases where adopters do not qualify for any statutory payment because of self-employment. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most, as part of a package of post-adoption support.

Apprentices: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve the apprenticeship completion rate of disabled young people.

Nick Boles: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 June 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Ensuring that apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship. We encourage the use of a range of available reasonable adjustments so during their learning and at assessment, apprentices with disabilities can demonstrate what they know and can do. Reasonable adjustments include access arrangements such as extra time, use of speech recognition technology, a reader, a sign language interpreter, modified papers (braille, enlarged text). A Taskforce, led by my hon Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard), has been asked to look at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties. The Taskforce is currently considering its recommendations.  Our far-reaching reforms will further improve the quality of apprenticeships and ensure delivery of the high quality relevant training expected by both employers and apprentices.

Nick Boles: Ensuring that apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship. We encourage the use of a range of available reasonable adjustments so during their learning and at assessment, apprentices with disabilities can demonstrate what they know and can do. Reasonable adjustments include access arrangements such as extra time, use of speech recognition technology, a reader, a sign language interpreter, modified papers (braille, enlarged text). A Taskforce, led by my hon Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard), has been asked to look at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties. The Taskforce is currently considering its recommendations.  Our far-reaching reforms will further improve the quality of apprenticeships and ensure delivery of the high quality relevant training expected by both employers and apprentices.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of split-site working and recruiting on a flexible location basis for policy officials.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



  The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is implementing its BIS2020 strategy in order to become simpler, cheaper and better. This includes moving to a central policy headquarters based in London. An assessment was made of the merits of split site working and of recruiting on a flexible basis through the consideration of alternative options (including maintaining the current model across split sites). This assessment took place throughout the consultation process and prior to the Executive Board’s decision. BIS will continue to have many more people based outside London than inside.

Cars: Hire Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the transparency of car hire firms and (b) ensure people hiring cars are not incorrectly charged for damage to such cars.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



There is already consumer protection legislation in place that protects consumers when dealing with traders, including car hire firms. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit traders from engaging in unfair commercial practices, such as providing false or deceptive information or descriptions to consumers or leaving out material information. Local authority trading standards services and the Competition and Markets Authority enforce the CPRs, and breaches of the legislation can be reported to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 in the first instance. In addition, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders entering into distance and online contracts to provide consumers with a range of pre-purchase information in a clear and comprehensive manner, including any additional costs and how they will be calculated. Finally, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) provides a wide range of protections for consumers, including restricting the use of unfair terms in consumer contracts. Under the CRA, an ‘unfair term’ is defined as one which, contrary to the requirements of good faith, causes a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations under the contract to the detriment of the consumer. If a court decides a term is unfair, it will not be binding on the consumer. A term, such as the price and the main subject matter, may be exempted from the assessment of fairness if it is transparent and prominent (expressed in plain and intelligible language and legible) and brought to the consumer’s attention in such a way as the average consumer would be aware of it. The consumer protection legislation referred to implements EU legislation which applies in all other member states.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the business need for the roles based at (a) the Sheffield office at St Paul's Place and (b) the London office at 1 Victoria Street.

Joseph Johnson: Detailed planning within business areas is continuing in order to assess for which roles there is a permanent business need, and which are either no longer needed or only needed in the short term.Based on current estimates the Department expects less than half of the policy roles currently outside London to transfer and be backfilled permanently, as part of the overall reduction in policy roles from 2000 to 1500.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether account is being taken in the proposed sale of the Land Registry of whether interested bidders are based in tax havens; what assessment his Department made in the awarding of such contracts of the competitive advantage given to companies based in tax havens; and what recent discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on banning companies based in tax havens from purchasing assets sold during privatisations.

Anna Soubry: No decision on the future of Land Registry has been taken and as such, no bids have been received. The consultation on moving operations of Land Registry to the private sector closed on 26 May and Government are currently reviewing the responses. Until this is completed, no decision will be made.

Apprentices

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which bodies have made representations to the Government on the inclusion of administration costs, travel and wages in the funding for the Digital Apprenticeship System; and what proportion of bodies making such representations were in favour of the Government's proposals.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



 My officials have been engaging employers throughout the policy development to gain their insight and advice. As part of the formal consultation last year, over 700 responses were received from employers. Opinions were evenly split as to whether levy funding should only be used to pay for the direct costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. Further information is available in the published Government response.

British Home Stores: Insolvency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by when he expects the findings from the Insolvency Service investigation into BHS to be published.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced plans to expedite this Insolvency Service investigation. It is not appropriate for details of the ongoing investigation to be made public as that may prejudice the outcome of any criminal or civil cases which arise from it. This is long standing Insolvency Service policy. However, I have met with the Insolvency Service to discuss the conduct of the investigation and will expect to do so periodically as the investigation progresses. If any directors are disqualified the Insolvency Service will publish the details of the disqualification on its website (for three months) and will notify Companies House, which keeps the statutory register of disqualifications. In addition, where the investigation uncovers matters of potential criminal misconduct or other regulatory breaches then this will be reported to the relevant authority for further action. Once the investigation is completed the Government will consider what detail it is appropriate to publish having full regard to any legal restrictions and on the legitimate public interest in the cause of the BHS failure.

Apprentices

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the funding caps for apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be in the new levy system.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



   In June 2016 we will be publishing provisional funding bands, which will set the maximum amount of funding which is available for each apprenticeship, as well as the provisional level of the government support that will be available towards the cost of apprenticeship training if you are not a levy paying employer, from April 2017. The final levels of funding and full, draft funding and eligibility rules will be published in October.

Apprentices

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which body will have the responsibility for conducting reviews of the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



  The Institute for Apprenticeships will advise on funding rates for all newly developed apprenticeships and, where appropriate, the funding rate for standards and assessment plans when they are reviewed.

Apprentices

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how frequently the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be reviewed.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



 Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.

Brain: Tumours

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to collect data on Government funding allocated to brain tumour research.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



  The Department does not routinely collect data on government funding for research in specific disease areas or conditions. However, information on spending on research into cancer, including research on brain tumours, is collected by the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a UK-wide partnership between the government, charity and industry which promotes co-operation in cancer research among the 22 member organisations. Information on all Research Council and Innovate UK research funding is published on the RCUK Gateway to Research (http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/).

Employment: Telephone Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers of 25 May 2016 and 31 March 2016 to Questions 37757 and 31997, if he will publish data on referrals made by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in 2014-15.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The table below shows the number of referrals (complaints) from the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) to relevant enforcement authorities for the 2014/15 financial year. Table 1: Referrals from the PWRH to each enforcement agencies, 2014/15  2014/15HMRC3,510EAS800HSE260DEFRA90GLA50 Notes 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Calls can be referred to more than one agency so the sum does not amount to the total number of calls referred for the period.3. Calls referred to agencies include complaints, complex queries and calls where intelligence was passed to other agencies.4. Figures include referrals via all PWRH communication channels, including telephone calls, post and online complaints.5. These figures are based on final data submitted by BSS on closure at the end of March 2015. They may not reconcile with provisional data provided while the old helpline was operational.

Apprentices: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of apprentices in the Tees Valley area (a) went on to work full-time with the employer with which they trained and (b) were subsequently unemployed in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Boles: Statistical data broken down by region on (a) apprentices working full-time for the employer with which they trained or (b) were subsequently unemployed, is not available. Latest Apprenticeship Evaluation Learner Survey 2016 data show that 9 out of 10 of all recent apprenticeship completers were in employment 12-20 months after completion. And 72% of those in employment were with the same employer with whom they completed their apprenticeship. Information on Apprenticeship starts by region and local authority is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release (second link).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509995/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.XLShttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

Science: Research

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether there is a mechanism equivalent to the Cross-Council Funding Agreement to ensure fair peer review and transparency for research proposals crossing the border between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency.

Joseph Johnson: The UK Space Agency and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) follow the Cross-Council Funding Agreement.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on the public purse of privatising the Land Registry while maintaining ownership of the Land Register.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these responses to help inform a Government decision. The effect on the public purse will also be considered as part of this decision.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Training

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that staff in her Department receive religious literacy training.

Sir Desmond Swayne: In implementing DFID’s ‘Faith Partnership Principles Paper’, DFID has produced material for staff on the role played by faiths in the local, national and global cultural contexts, arranged for faith literacy training and facilitated staff to attend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office faith literacy training courses.

Angola: Yellow Fever

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the likelihood of the yellow fever outbreak in Angola spreading beyond Africa; and what support the Government is providing to tackle that outbreak.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government recognises the Yellow Fever outbreak in Angola as being of serious concern, with risks of international spread through non-immunised travellers. Government departments are collaborating to monitor the situation closely, including within affected and at-risk countries where the UK has a presence. We are also working with the World Health Organisation, Gavi (the vaccine alliance) and other international partners to support their work to control the outbreak, including through large-scale vaccination campaigns. The UK has financed one quarter of the Yellow Fever vaccine doses provided to the global stockpile in 2016. More than 10.5million people in Angola and nearly 2million people in DRC have already been vaccinated in response to the outbreak.

Kenya: Refugees

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided to projects operating in the Dadaab refugee camp since 1 January 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: Between Jan 2010 and March 2016, the UK has contributed £56,525,096 to support refugees in in Dadaab.

Department for International Development: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department have applied for special leave to carry out work for non-governmental departments in the last 12 months.

Sir Desmond Swayne: DFID’s policy on special leave is specific and does not extend to working for other organisations. There has only been one exception to this policy in the last 12 months. As this relates to a single individual any further information is being withheld because releasing these details could lead to the individual being identified and would therefore breach the legitimate expectation of an individual’s right to protection of their personal information.

Middle East: Corruption

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the level of corruption in those states and territories in the Middle East which receive international development aid from the UK.

Sir Desmond Swayne: In their most recent report, Transparency International assessed that the risk of fraud and corruption in the region is “high”. We therefore apply a rigorous process of due diligence, where partners must demonstrate accountable and transparent governance structures and financial procedures including compliance with counter-terrorism legislation.

Department for International Development: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many times she has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

Sir Desmond Swayne: Details of meetings with external organisations are published in quarterly returns which are available on the UK Government website. The following ministerial visits to Scotland by DFID Ministers have taken place since last May: DateMinister13 May 2015MoS Swayne26 May 2015PUSS Verma9 June 2015MoS Shapps26 June 2015MoS Swayne1 July 2015SoS20 July 2015MoS Swayne29 July 2015PUSS Verma14 September 2015MoS Swayne6 November 2015MoS Swayne7 January 2016PUSS Hurd14 January 2016MoS Swayne11 February 2016MoS Swayne3 March 2016SoS21 March 2016PUSS Hurd24 March 2016MoS Swayne20 May 2016PUSS Verma

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase her Department's expenditure on water and sanitation.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK has increased its bilateral spend on water and sanitation year on year since 2004, from £31.2million (2004/05) to £180.8million (2014/15).The Department for International Development does not allocate a set proportion of the aid budget to water and sanitation. The UK Aid strategy commits the UK to helping at least 60million people get access to water and sanitation by 2020. We will allocate the resources required to achieve this to the relevant programmes.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK aid for the Ethiopian government is conditional upon that government addressing human rights concerns.

Mr Nick Hurd: UK conditionality policy is set out in a UK (DFID, FCO and Treasury) Policy Paper - ‘Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: Rethinking Conditionality’ (www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211182/partnerships-poverty-reduction.pdf). This policy is applied through DFID’s approach to our Partnership Principles (for further information see answer to Hansard 38390). The Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to human rights is assessed on an ongoing basis, including through regular Partnership Principles assessments. Where we have concerns we raise these at the highest levels and through regular UK-Ethiopia Human Rights Dialogues.UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the significant gains in development the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.

Department for Education

Teachers: Lancashire

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the teacher to pupil ratio is in (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in Lancashire.

Nick Gibb: The following link provides the pupil to teacher ratio (PTR) in (a) state funded secondary and (b) state funded primary schools in Lancashire local authority and in England for November 2014, the latest information available: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

Academies: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38393, what estimate she has made of the total amount awarded to schools in pre-opening support grants in each month in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Edward Timpson: The Department spent £132.2 million to support schools to become academies over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 financial years. Further details are in the table below:MonthFinancial Year & Costs (£) 2011-122012-13April3,024,0830May4,318,8365,882,474June7,178,8354,408,560July4,729,9516,799,528August6,025,6744,702,531September9,018,0531,617,852October8,028,8556,736,111November5,298,1983,997,178December5,969,5895,754,346January5,612,6388,067,316February3,396,0165,059,683March4,594,87211,957,148Year Total67,195,60064,982,727  There are a number of factors which can influence the amount spent each month, including the profile of the projects for which payments have been made. For example, converter projects would receive the standard £25k support grant whilst sponsored projects receive an additional school improvement grant. The current sponsored grant rates can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511128/sponsored_academies_funding_advice_for_sponsors.pdf. Seasonal variation can also be a key factor, as a number of schools prefer to convert at the beginning of a new term. This could see spikes in payment a number of months before planned opening.

Department for Education: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of staff in her Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is published by the Department on a monthly basis and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-monthly-workforce-management-information which also includes non-Departmental Public Bodies and non-Ministerial Departments across the time period in question.

Department for Education: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: The total spent on non-payroll Contingent Labour staff (ie, Agency Staff (Clerical and Admin); Interim Managers; and Specialist Contractors) in the Department for Education and its Executive Agencies is published by the Department for Education on a monthly basis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-monthly-workforce-management-information which also includes Non Departmental Public Bodies (Equality & Human Rights Commission and Office of the Children's Commissioner).

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Education Funding Agency guidance, Building Bulletin 100: Design for fire safety in schools, published on 11 March 2014, how many schools that scored high or medium on the risk assessment have not been fitted with sprinklers.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Education Funding Agency guidance, Building Bulletin 100: Design for fire safety in schools, published on 11 March 2014, how many schools with pupils with Special Educational Needs have scored (a) high, (b) medium and (c) low on the fire risk assessment.

Edward Timpson: Building Bulletin 100 advises on fire safety design for new school buildings and includes a fire risk assessment within its suite of guidance. This risk assessment is not intended to be part of a data collection exercise and therefore the Department does not hold the information requested.

Extracurricular Activities

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32732, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation into out-of-school education settings.

Edward Timpson: The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment without exposure to hateful and extremist views that undermine British values. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings was launched on 26 November 2015 and ran for six and a half weeks closing on 11 January 2016.Around 3,000 people completed the published response form, either online or manually. The Department for Education received a significant number of further representations to the consultation by email and post. All responses and representations are being analysed. We will be publishing a response to the consultation in due course.

Chief Social Worker for Children and Families

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authority children's services departments have been visited by the Chief Social Worker for Children since she took up that post.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited 50 local authorities.

Special Educational Needs

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides (a) at home and (b) in schools for children who have special educational needs and disabilities.

Edward Timpson: The system for identifying and meeting the needs of all children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disabilities is designed to deliver the right support for all children, so that they can achieve their potential and their education prepares them well for fulfilling adult lives. We legislated through the Children and Families Act 2014 to strengthen the system and have invested in practical and financial support for schools, local authorities and other key players in the system to help ensure that the reforms lead to a real improvement in children’s experiences. We have, for example, protected the overall school budget and increased the funding for children and young people with high needs by over £90 million this year. To ensure that local authorities have capacity to implement the reforms effectively, our additional funding included a £70 million SEN Reform Grant in 2014-15 to help local authorities plan for the SEN and disabilities reforms, and three grants (£45 million in 2014-15, £32 million in 2015-16 and £35.8 million in 2016-17) to local authorities to pay for the additional costs of implementing the reforms. All schools are required to put in place systems for the early identification of SEN and disabilities and to use their best endeavours to meet those needs. For most pupils with SEN, schools will meet needs through ‘SEN Support’. Schools will use the ‘graduated approach’, a cycle in which they assess what support is needed, plan and deliver it and then review its impact and improve the support a child actually needs. For those pupils with more complex or severe SEN and disabilities, following a multi-agency assessment, local authorities will issue an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan setting out the provision that must be made. A key element of the SEN and disabilities system and the recent reforms is ensuring that parents and carers are empowered to work with schools and others over the provision that is made for their children. By working together, families, local authorities and schools can provide more effective support to a child (in school and at home) to meet their SEN. For example, the 2014 Act requires local authorities to work with families over producing a Local Offer. That offer sets out in one place information about provision an authority expects to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in its area who have SEN and disabilities, including those who do not have EHC plans. This should provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it. The offer should include what support is available to parents to aid their child’s development at home. The local authority has to publish a statement on short breaks for disabled children, young people and their families and this will form a core part of its offer. The statutory 0-25 SEN and Disabilities Code of Practice also describes a wide range of services that schools, Early Years providers, local authorities, health bodies and others provide to families to help meet SEN within the home. This includes, for example, services for pre-school age children and therapies that include programmes for implementation at home.

Free School Meals

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that any children who would have been entitled to free school meals under the previous system retain that entitlement under the new eligibility criteria under universal credit.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers: Training

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) establish an additional National Teaching Service (NTS) pilot in Teesside and (b) give priority to the Tees Valley in the NTS national roll-out in response to the recommendation in Lord Heseltine's report, Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited to prioritise the Tees Valley for national roll-out of the NTS.

Nick Gibb: In November 2015 we announced that by 2020 the National Teaching Service (NTS) will have placed 1,500 high-performing teachers and middle leaders into challenging schools in areas of the country that struggle to attract, recruit and retain high quality teachers.The NTS was launched with plans for a pilot scheme in the North West of England from September 2016 with the aim of attracting 100 NTS teachers and middle leaders into schools in the region. The national programme will include a clear focus on delivering cohorts of NTS teachers and middle leaders into eligible schools in Achieving Excellence Areas (AEAs) as set out in the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper. We will confirm our plans for rolling out the NTS in due course.

Free School Meals

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the additional cost relative to the previous system of additional entitlements to free school meals created by new eligibility criteria under universal credit.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Free School Meals

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when new eligibility criteria for free school meals under universal credit will be (a) published and (b) implemented.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to place the offences committed by offenders who participate in out-of-court restorative justice on the Police National Computer and make them available to courts dealing with any future offending.

Mike Penning: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 June 2016.The correct answer should have been:

As I said during my appearance before the Justice Select Committee on 24 May, there is a difference between restorative justice and out of court disposals. Restorative justice is not a disposal in its own right, however, it can be used in conjunction with community resolution or a conditional caution.As stated in the previous response to this question there are no plans to record participation in restorative justice on the Police National Computer unless this is already recorded as part of a conditional caution or other formal disposal.As stated in the previous response to this question (PQ 36187), the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Mike Penning: As I said during my appearance before the Justice Select Committee on 24 May, there is a difference between restorative justice and out of court disposals. Restorative justice is not a disposal in its own right, however, it can be used in conjunction with community resolution or a conditional caution.As stated in the previous response to this question there are no plans to record participation in restorative justice on the Police National Computer unless this is already recorded as part of a conditional caution or other formal disposal.As stated in the previous response to this question (PQ 36187), the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mike Penning: The MoJ spent £182,428,000 on non-payroll staff in 2015-16. Successive administrations have recruited non-payroll staff to fill short-term business critical roles where the permanent workforce does not have the required skills. These roles are mainly linked to major reform programmes. Agency workers are also recruited into administrative roles where it is value for money to have a flexible workforce due to peaks and troughs in demand. However as part of this Government's MOJ Transformation programme the department is looking to reduce expenditure on non-payroll staff.

Reoffenders

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of re-offending.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to reduce re-offending.

Andrew Selous: Reducing reoffending is a priority for the Ministry of Justice, to cut crime and improve public safety. The Ministry of Justice does not analyse the overall cost to the public purse of reoffending. However, the National Audit Office (NAO) has produced analysis in the past. Reoffending has been too high for too long which is why we are investing £1.3bn over the next five years to transform the prison estate and give prisoners the help they need to turn their lives around. We have also changed the way offenders are managed in the community with almost all now receiving targeted support on release. This will help reduce reoffending, cut crime and make our streets safer.

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Mike Penning: The proportion of staff on (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff for each of the financial years requested is included in the table below. Due to changes in the structure of the department in each year, comparisons cannot be reliably drawn between years. 2010/20112011/20122012/20132013/20142014/20152015/2016Proportion of Payroll FTE98%98%98%97%95%95%Proportion of Non Payroll FTE2%2%2%3%5%5% The data in the table includes staff from MoJ Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Office of the Public Guardian and the Legal Aid Agency (who are included from the 2013/2014 financial year onwards). The Scotland Office and Wales Office are included in the 2010/2011 financial year and Supreme Court included 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 financial year.

Ministry of Justice: Publications

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department and its executive agencies spent on the publications (a) Who's Who, (b) Burke's Peerage and (c) Debrett's in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: Until April 2016, the Judicial Library Information Services (jLIS) were responsible for purchasing publications and legal resources requested by the judiciary. The data below shows requested purchases made by the MOJ on behalf of the judiciary. Who’s Who was purchased annually, at the request of the judiciary, to provide the judiciary with information to prepare for meetings with senior officials and external parties. Responsibility for purchases on behalf of the judiciary has now moved to the Judicial Office. The table below shows the total spent by jLIS on (a) Who’s Who, (b) Burke’s Peerage, and (c) Debrett’s Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners from 2012 to 2015. PublicationFinancial Year2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Who’s WhoNot heldNot held£17,293£16,333£4,508£4,715Burke’s PeerageNot heldNot held£0£0£0£0Debrett’s Guide to Etiquette and Modern MannersNot heldNot held£0£0£561£0 There is no centrally held data available for any other executive agencies, or any other cost centre within MoJ. jLIS do not hold spend data pre financial year 2012/13 due to a change in the acquisitions database. The data could not be transferred from the old software to the new acquisitions database.

Prison Sentences

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has issued guidance to the Parole Board on the need speedily to review imprisonment for public protection cases following recall.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with imprisonment for public protection sentences have been recalled to custody since the introduction of that sentence; and how many such people have been subsequently re-released.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with imprisonment for public protection sentences have applied to have their licences terminated; and how many such applications have been successful.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the automatic imposition of a life licence for all people with imprisonment for public protection sentences released from prison.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons people serving imprisonment for public protection sentences were recalled to custody in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: The sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 for offences committed after April 2005. They were abolished in 2012 by the Coalition Government.The Parole Board is independent, and so it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to guide the Parole Board on how to prioritise their cases. However, the MoJ and the Parole Board are working together to facilitate faster reviews of indeterminate sentences cases following recall, as part of a package of measures designed to reduce delays in cases heard by the Board.Offenders serving an IPP sentence in the community are not subject to a life licence.IPP sentences can be terminated upon application to the independent Parole Board by the individual offender. If an application for termination is turned down, the offender may then apply on a yearly basis thereafter until it is terminated. Once terminated, the IPP sentence ends and the offender is no longer under the management of the National Probation Service and is not subject to licence conditions. No such applications have yet been received.The table below is a breakdown of the offenders serving a sentence of IPP who have been recalled in each year from 2010 to 2015, broken down by the principal reason for recall. Some offenders are recalled for more than one reason and so the number of reasons does not necessarily sum to the total number of recalls. Figures are therefore not directly comparable across years.Of the 1149 IPP offenders recalled between 2010 and 2015, and the 35 who were recalled prior to that period, 502 had been re-released by 31 December 2015. This does not include recalled IPP offenders who were deported, discharged from hospital, or had their sentence quashed. This data is derived from matching data on recalled offenders with data on released offenders. Its accuracy relies on all such data being accurately recorded.Number of IPP offenders recalled, by reason for Recall   201020112012201320142015   All IPP recalls3259123240332363   Further charge6162068108157Non-compliance20215698126203Failed to keep in touch144152842Failed to reside3718232294Drugs/alcohol1818314075Other13751873

Asylum: Appeals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many applications to appeal a decision on (a) an asylum application and (b) an application for refugee family union in the First Tier Tribunal Asylum and Immigration Chamber the applicant paid a fee in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: There were 2,890 applications to appeal an asylum decision where a fee was paid by the applicant in the calendar year 2015. The number of applications to appeal a refugee family union decision is not collected by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Notes to figures:1. The figure includes asylum, protection and revocation of protection appeals because they come under the umbrella term of ‘asylum’. 2. Figures provided are taken from internal management information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.

Ministry of Justice: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times he has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

Mike Penning: Details of all ministerial meetings are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Abortion: Convictions

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of offences under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 for performing abortions on themselves or causing their own miscarriage in each year since 1986; and what each such case was.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of the offence of child destruction under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 for performing abortions on themselves or causing their own miscarriage in each year since 1986; and what each such case was.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of offences under section 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 related to abortions in each year since 1986; and what each such case was.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of offences under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 for performing abortions on other people in each year since 1986; and what each such case was.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of the offence of child destruction under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 for performing abortions on other people in each year since 1986; and what each such case was.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of offenders found guilty at all courts in England and Wales, from 1986 to 2015, can be viewed in the table. The figures from 2005 onwards are a further breakdown of data published in the outcomes by offences data tool in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015 Information as to whether each case referred to abortion or miscarriage Is not available.



Offences against the person act 1861 Section 58/59
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29.5 KB)

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation 5 on page 251 of the Report of the Macur Review, published in March 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a police investigation to consider whether there is sufficient evidence and public interest relating to matters of malfeasance in public office or perverting the course of justice in North West Wales Police in relation to the abuse of children in care in North Wales.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation 5 on page 251 of the Report of the Macur Review, published in March 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a police investigation to consider whether there is sufficient evidence and public interest relating to matters of malfeasance in public office in the Welsh Office in relation to the abuse of children in care in North Wales.

Caroline Dinenage: As the then Secretary of State for Wales said in his statement to the House on 17 March, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are aware of the specifics of this matter and it is for them to consider further.

Ministry of Justice: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times he has visited Wales in his official capacity since the last UK general election.

Mike Penning: Details of all ministerial meetings are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Ministry of Justice: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Ministers in his Department have visited Wales in an official capacity since the last UK general election.

Mike Penning: Details of all ministerial meetings are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Scotland Office

Citizens Advice Scotland: Finance

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much funding the Government provided to Citizens Advice Scotland in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The UK Government provide funding to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), the umbrella organisation and membership body for the Citizens Advice Bureaux network in Scotland, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and (via the Pension Wise service) through Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT). The total UK Government funding to CAS over the past five financial years, including BIS and HMT funding, is set out below. Financial YearTotal funding 2015/16£9,583,5112014/15£8,797,1962013/14£5,614,8002012/13£6,887,5002011/12£2,900,000 Funding increased substantially between 2011/12 and 2012/13 to reflect the additional functions CAS had taken on as a result of the consumer landscape changes, including the joint delivery (with Citizens Advice England and Wales) of the Consumer Service helpline, education and advocacy on general consumer issues, and as the advocate on behalf of consumers in the regulated energy and postal sectors. Funding also increased substantially between 2013/14 and 2014/15 when the Government established the Pension Wise service to offer free and impartial guidance to people on the new pension freedoms which came into effect in April 2015.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Culture: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that legacy funding from the Government for the Great Exhibition of the North is spent effectively.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer the Honourable member to my response to PQ 39132, answered on the 9th June.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The published Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) contains both the proportion of staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that are (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff and the associated spend. The ARA for each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are available on gov.uk.The 2015-16 data will be published in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Mr Edward Vaizey: There are no Civil Servants in DCMS paid through limited companies.

Food

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the food and drink industry does not meet his Department's criteria for inclusion on its list of creative industries.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government fully recognises the importance of the food and drinks sector to our economy, and appreciates that there is a creative element to work in this sector. The definition of the Creative Industries since 2013 has been based on a Creative Intensity approach, which measures the proportion of jobs within an industry that are classified as creative. The proportion of these jobs in the 'food and drink' industry was below the 30 per cent threshold set in 2013, and was therefore not included in the Creative Industries Economic Estimates.Earlier this year, this Department carried out a consultation on our Economic Estimates for the Creative Industries, which included asking whether we should review the sectors included within the Creative Industries based on the existing Creative Intensity approach. We published our response to this consultation on 9 June, which stated that we will continue to review the Creative Intensities on an on-going basis to ensure they remain relevant. The Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC) which underpin this work are currently being reviewed, however, and we will wait for the outcome of that review before deciding whether and when to make any changes to the occupations which contribute to the Creative Industries.

Cybercrime: Insurance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support and spread awareness of cyber security insurance amongst businesses.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is committed to making the UK one of the safest places in the world to do business online and we recognise the role cyber insurance can play as part of a broader risk management strategy.In March 2015 the Government published a report on the joint initiatives between Government and the insurance sector to tackle cyber risk. The report is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cyber-security-insurance-new-steps-to-make-uk-world-centre

Birds: Tristan Da Cunha

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the threats to the Tristan albatross and Gough bunting from invasive plants and mice; and if his Department will support the proposed initiative by the Tristan da Cunha council to protect those birds through mouse and invasive plant eradication projects.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is aware of the threat to the seabirds of Gough Island posed by invasive mice and plants. We are reviewing the options for addressing this problem and will take necessary actions to ensure the protection of these rare and endangered species and to protect the World Heritage Site status of Gough Island.

Television: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount charged to the deceased by TV Licensing in each of the last three years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: TV Licensing (TVL) should be notified when a licence fee holder dies. If the person making the notice has previously been covered by the licence, it will be transferred into their name. If an executor or family member notifies TVL that a property is now vacant, the licence is cancelled, and a refund is made to the deceased’s estate.In the case of an over-75s licence, TVL is informed by the Department of Work and Pensions of deaths of those aged over 75. In this case, TVL will write to the licensed address to inform anyone living with the deceased that the licence will cover the occupants until the licence term expires.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Justin Tomlinson: The information is provided in the following table: Financial Year Proportion of payroll staff (%) Proportion of non-payroll staff (%)2015-1699.40.62014-1599.70.32013-1499.90.12012-1399.90.12011-1299.90.12010-1199.90.1 Of the 520 non-payroll staff in the latest year the majority were employed to develop the technology for our major welfare reforms.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Justin Tomlinson: No Civil Servants in the Department for Work and Pensions are paid through limited companies.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Justin Tomlinson: The spend on non-payroll staff in Department for Work and Pensions in 15-16 will be published in the Departments Annual Report and Accounts on 30th June 2016 following completion of the audit and Permanent Secretary and Comptroller and Auditor General sign-off.

Employment: Special Educational Needs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to encourage businesses to train and employ people with learning difficulties to give them equal opportunities.

Justin Tomlinson: Employment for people with learning disabilities is a Government priority. Through our Disability Confident campaign we are encouraging employers to attract, recruit and retain disabled people, including those with Learning Disabilities, who are eager to work and have the skills, talents and abilities that employers are looking for. In 2014/15 Access to Work supported 2,010 awards for people with learning disabilities; the highest ever number of learning disabled people supported since the start of our records in 2007. The Department is an active member of the National Learning Disability Programme Board, chaired by Department of Health. This is a cross-government group, working co-productively with disabled people and disability organisations to positively shape future policy to improve services and increase work opportunities for people with Learning Disabilities. The Department is supporting the development of a joint Learning Disability Strategy to drive this agenda forward. We have also set up a taskforce to look at improving accessibility of apprenticeships for people with Learning Disabilities. Individuals invited to sit on the taskforce represent a range of organisations and specialisms, from employers and training providers to charities and educational experts. Organisations representing disabled people and those with learning disabilities (for example Scope and MENCAP) are also taking part.

Department for Work and Pensions: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his Ministerial team are working closely with their Scottish Government counterparts. The Secretary of State will be visiting Scotland shortly, and also attending the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare.

Personal Income

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to increase the range of statistics that his Department collects on income mobility.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions (as well as the Office for National Statistics) publishes a wide range of information looking at the income distribution. We have announced we will be producing a new publication, Income Dynamics in February/March 2017, which will look at income mobility, including a measure of persistent low income, based on new data from the Understanding Society survey.

Dementia: Housing

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for people with dementia.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for veterans.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for post-release young offenders.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for post-release offenders.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for victims of domestic violence.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the welfare policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Act on 20th July 2015. It set out its assessment of the impacts of the social rents policies in the Act on 28th September 2015. A link to the impact assessments is included: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork/documents.html

Supported Housing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35935, when he plans to publish the report of the review into the supported housing sector.

Justin Tomlinson: We expect to publish the review report shortly.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the terms of reference of the forthcoming review on personal independence payments.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has regular discussions with stakeholders on all aspects of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is subject to two statutory, independent reports on the operation of assessments which determine ability to carry out daily living activities or mobility activities. The terms of reference for the second report, due to be published by April 2017, will be subject to the statutory criteria and will be published in due course.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2016 to Question 37474, how many full-time equivalent officials of his Department are responsible for any debt collection activity that the CMS system is undertaking to ensure that former Child Support Agency child maintenance arrears are received.

Priti Patel: Where CSA arrears are moved across to the CMS system we will actively pursue collection where the CSA clients fall within three specific scenarios. These include firstly where a re-application has been made to CMS relating to the same case; secondly where the CSA arrears were being paid in the last 3 months prior to being moved over to the CMS system; and finally where a client actively requests we collect them. Given this approach to the collection of these CSA arrears, they are collected through our business-as-usual processes within our Case Maintenance, Arrears and Enforcement Teams within CMS, where at June 2016 there were 3,256 full time equivalent staff.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2016 to Question 37474, on children: maintenance, what specific areas of case closure require less effort than earlier analysis suggested.

Priti Patel: The impact assessment was completed in 2013, well before CSA cases started to be closed. These numbers have since been reviewed to reflect the experiences of the case closure journey. The initial estimate of £103m to review the cases has reduced to £75m as the updating work has taken less time than assumed when the impact assessment was completed. The initial estimate to set up the arrears on the CMS system was £20m and this is proving to take longer than anticipated, with the latest estimate at £26m. The revised figures are still subject to further change as we move more cases and update estimates.

Health and Safety Executive

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the level of income that the Health and Safety Executive will receive from commercial sources in each year up to 2019-20.

Justin Tomlinson: HSE estimate the total level of income from commercial sources will be £17m in 2016/17. Future year income estimates will be determined as part the business planning process and included as part of the published Business Plan.

Personal Independence Payment

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications there were for personal independence payments in the latest year for which figures are available; what proportion of those applications were rejected; and what proportion of unsuccessful applications were subsequently granted on appeal.

Justin Tomlinson: Data on the number of claims made for personal independence payment (PIP), and the proportion of such claims which were unsuccessful, are available from Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Appeals against PIP decisions may be made where an award of benefit has been given or not. Data on appeals is a matter for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. The latest available data on appeals can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#social-security-and-child-support-statistics.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average hourly earnings were of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

George Eustice: Defra employees are paid within salary bands according to their grades, they are not paid by the hour. The tables below set out a calculation of average hourly pay for all employees within the central department, by grade, and by BME, Non-BME, and Undeclared ethnic status (employees that have not declared their ethnicity).2015BMENon BMEUndeclaredAA**£8.96AO£12.15£12.17£11.43EO£14.96£13.92£13.80HEO£17.29£16.79£15.98SEO£20.54£19.96£20.05G7£27.43£27.33£26.30G6*£32.62£33.10SCS*£39.77£46.42   2016BMENon BMEUndeclaredAA**£9.84AO£12.06£12.17£12.16EO£14.89£14.41£13.99HEO£17.23£16.66£16.05SEO£20.47£20.51£20.42G7£27.40£27.35£26.65G6*£33.04£32.84SCS*£42.62£48.85 *Number of staff in this group are below publishable levelGood progress is being made on actions in the Government’s Talent Action Plan and Defra’s Diversity Strategy to ensure that Defra is able to recruit and retain employees from a diverse range of backgrounds, and to enable them to develop and progress on merit.

Animals: Exports

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals exported abroad for slaughter in each of the last 10 years.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) holds data for animals exported specifically for slaughter for the years 2014 and 2015 from Great Britain:  2014183720153011  The below figures represent the total number of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats for the years 2006-13. These figures represent animals exported for breeding, fattening/ production as well as slaughter from Great Britain:  200626806920071659402008156868200976191201019422201194193201259419201359686

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of staff in her Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department are paid through limited companies.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.

George Eustice: Core Defra publishes Workforce Management Information on a monthly basis. This sets out the number of staff who are a) on payroll and b) off payroll and the published data covers financial years 2010-11 to 2015-16. It can be found at the following link: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-defra. No civil servants within Core Defra are paid through limited companies. The figure for spend on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 will be published in the 2015-16 Annual Report and Accounts.

Birds: Conservation

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the conservation of nestling swifts in the demolition or renovation of old housing estates.

Rory Stewart: Natural England has part funded the production of book called Designing for Biodiversity: A Technical Guide for New and Existing Buildings. The publication includes detailed advice on provision for swifts (as well as a range of other species) in new developments, which local authorities may find useful. No specific guidance has been issued to local authorities on the conservation of nestling swifts in the demolition or renovation of old housing estates.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times she has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has visited Scotland on two separate occasions since the 2015 General Election and met:DiageoScotch Whisky AssociationScotland Food and DrinkNFU ScotlandQuality Meat ScotlandIan Duncan MEPRuth Davidson MSP

Rural Areas: EU Grants and Loans

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for rural development purposes through EU schemes in the post-2020 Multi Annual Financial Framework.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for the fishing industry through the Common Fisheries Policy in the post-2020 Multi Annual Financial Framework.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for farming and agriculture through the CAP in the post-2020 Multi Annual Framework.

George Eustice: No decisions on post-2020 funding have been taken yet. The post-2020 Multi Annual Framework negotiations will be led by HMT.

Fishing Catches: North Sea

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to support fishing any stocks at a higher level than the maximum sustainable yield level in the forthcoming negotiations on the multi-annual plan to manage North Sea fish stocks.

George Eustice: The objective of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy is that all stocks will be fished at or below their respective Maximum Sustainable Yield by 2020. We expect to see proposals for a North Sea multi-annual plan soon which will provide the regulatory framework for the management of multi-species fisheries in the North Sea.

Environment Protection: Pitcairn Islands

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what technical assistance her Department has offered to the government of the Pitcairn Islands to help ensure that its draft biosecurity legislation meets best practice.

Rory Stewart: The UK Government is committed to assisting our Overseas Territories (OTs) in protecting their biodiversity. Territory Governments are constitutionally responsible for the conservation of their natural environments and we work in partnership with them to provide support, including through access to technical advice, expertise and training and through the Overseas Territories Climate and Environment Programme (Darwin Plus). Preventing the establishment of invasive alien species and eradicating or controlling invasive species is one of our priorities in supporting biodiversity conservation in the OTs. Defra has funded various projects on biosecurity, bio-control and the spread of non-native species in the OTs, including an RSPB-led Darwin Plus project which included work to improve Pitcairn’s biosecurity legislation. Defra officials stand ready to consider any requests from Pitcairn’s Government for technical assistance, advice or expertise on biosecurity matters or in respect of Pitcairn’s biosecurity legislation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Research

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 38502, what estimate she has made of her Department's (a) core total evidence spend and (b) core research and development spend in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The estimated evidence spend for core Defra for 2016/17 is £50m, of which £31m is planned to be spent in research and development (R&D). The estimates for each of the remaining years of the Spending Review 2015 (SR15) period will not be finalised until the annual business planning round is concluded before the new financial year begins.

Home Office

Migration: EU Countries

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential number of short-term EU migrants who are expected to enter the UK to live and work in each of the next five years.

James Brokenshire: It has been the practice of this Government not to make such forecasts. There are numerous different factors that can affect migration flows. Projections of UK’s population are published by the independent Office for National Statistics. http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojectionsAs projections, these do not take account of the potential impact of Government policies or economic conditions. ONS produce estimates of short term migration for England and Wales https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/shorttermmigrationestimatesforenglandandwalesmid2014estimatesThe majority of those coming as ‘short term migrants’ were for the reason “other” (which includes activities such as: holidays and travelling; visiting family and friends; and working holidays).

Radicalism

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which teams in her Department work on counter-extremism strategy and policy; how many staff are employed in each of those teams; what the grade is of each of those staff; what the budget is for each team; and what the budget is for external expert consultancy services for each of those teams.

Karen Bradley: In May 2015 the Home Secretary established the Office for Counter-Extremism, which works on counter-extremism strategy and policy. As of May 2016 the office has 51 staff of the following grades: 7 at SCS PB2, SCS PB1 and Grade 6; 10 at Grade 7; 14 at SEO; 10 at HEO; 10 at EO.The 16/17 budget for the Office for Counter-Extremism is £22.5 million, with a maximum of £2.57 million available for external expert consultancy services.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from her Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Karen Bradley: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Parliamentary Questions 38811 and 38825 by the hon. Member for Weston –Super-Mare (John Penrose), Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, on 8 June 2016.

Borders

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications of the UK leaving the EU on (a) border controls and security and (b) the entry of criminals and terrorists into the UK.

James Brokenshire: Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union deals with the process of exiting the EU. More detail on implications of withdrawal from the EU is set out in Chapter 4 of the Government’s White Paper, ‘The process for withdrawing from the European Union’, published on 29 February. The White Paper is available using the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-process-for-withdrawing-from-the-european-union

Asylum: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish guidance on the Dublin III regulation.

James Brokenshire: The Dublin III Regulation clearly sets out the criteria and process for determining responsibility for asylum cases. Caseworkers refer to the detail of the Regulation when determining cases, along with the relevant case law. We are aiming to update and publish some additional guidance shortly. Caseworkers have access to policy and legal advisers on a regular basis.

Immigrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of overstayers have subsequently been granted leave to remain due to their family or private life in the UK in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: A manual review of every application resulting in a grant of leave to remain on the basis of private or family life would be required to determine the proportion of those made by overstayers. This information cannot therefore be provided without exceeding proportionate costs.

Asylum: Families

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for refugee family reunion have been (a) made, (b) resolved, (c) granted and (d) refused by nationals from (i) Syria, (ii) Eritrea, (iii) Afghanistan, (iv) Iran and (v) Sudan in each of the last 12 quarters.

James Brokenshire: The information is provided in the table, based on the available published statistics which relate to the ‘Family: other’ category, which are known to very largely consist of family reunion cases .The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statisticsThis is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the Standard of Official Statistics.



Resolved entry  clearance visas
(Excel SpreadSheet, 34.5 KB)

Asylum: Families

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the decision to introduce a 30-day deadline to travel once a family reunion visa has been issued; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The visas issued to non-EEA nationals who are coming from overseas to stay in the UK for more than six-months are limited to 30 days duration because they are intended to act as a means of enabling the person to travel to the UK and to collect their biometric residence permit (BRP) following their arrival in the country. When a family reunion application is made individuals can specify the date they would like the visa to start to enable them to make any necessary travel arrangements, including obtaining exit visas.The start date of the visa can be deferred for up to three months from the date of application. If there is any delay expected in the processing time of the application, the individual will be contacted by UKVI and informed about the delay. Where someone is unable to make arrangements to travel to the UK within the 30 day period, they can apply for a replacement visa.We are aware that a small number of families have experienced difficulties with the visa procedures to enable them to join their family members in the UK, and have sought to address these issues by updating the guidance we issue to Entry Clearance Officers on family reunion applications.

Undocumented Migrants

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the security arrangements under the Common Travel Agreement in preventing illegal immigration into the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Government is working with all members of the Common Travel Area (CTA) to prevent illegal immigration and maintain the security of the external CTA border. Home Office Ministers and Officials have regular contact with all CTA members and there continues to be excellent government and operational level co-operation on a joint programme of work which includes: investment in border procedures; increased data sharing to inform immigration and border security decisions; interoperable passenger data systems, including the collection and processing of Advance Passenger Information (API) on intra and extra CTA routes, and; harmonised visa policy and processes. In addition to this, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force conduct intelligence-led operations to identify and take action against individuals who are seeking to or have abused this travel arrangement.

Immigration Controls: Boats

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions her Department had with the Royal Yacht Association on solutions to practical difficulties preventing pleasure craft from providing advance notification of arrival in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether changes have been made to the way evidence of illegal entry is recorded in response to the recommendations made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, An Inspection of General Aviation and General Maritime, published in January 2016, and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the general aviation risk assessment tool form has been amended in response to the recommendations made in the report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, An Inspection of General Aviation and General Maritime, published in January 2016; whether additional training has been provided to Border Force officers responsible for completing those forms; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Border Force fully accepted the recommendations of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration regarding General Aviation and General Maritime and is implementing changes as quickly as practicable. Border Force is working with other government departments and partners to deliver improvement during 2016-2017 and is closely monitoring progress.

Undocumented Migrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions there have been of applicants for asylum who have arrived without documents and concealed their identity to frustrate removal in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: The number of individuals prosecuted for arriving without documents and concealing their identity is 50. The figures are illustrated below.1st April 2014 - 31 March 2015 261st April 2015 – 31 March 2016 22This information was not held centrally prior to 2014.The Home Office works closely with the NCA and other law enforcement agencies, and prosecuting authorities in the UK and abroad, to ensure criminal investigations are robustly progressed in accordance with Criminal Justice standards.

Immigration Controls

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many airlines are required to copy passengers' documents, on how many flight routes, before the passenger is allowed to board.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office do not currently require airlines to copy passenger documents before allowing them to board. For flights to the UK, airlines may be liable to a charge of £2000 for any passenger that does not produce valid travel documents on arrival.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how may airport liaison officers have been deployed to each location in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not available.

Undocumented Migrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the programme managed by Capita to identify and remove overstayers; when the contract with Capita for that programme is due for renewal; whether she plans to make any amendments to the terms of that contract; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



Capita was appointed to progress cases in the Migration Refusal Pool (MRP), which consists of those people who have received a negative decision on their cases, but have not left the country. The purpose of these arrangements is to contact manage cases and encourage voluntary departure and compliance. Capita does not remove anyone from the UK.Capita’s work on the Migration Refusal Pool has enabled a substantial reduction in the size of the MRP during the lifetime of the contract and has included the assessment of 659,400 cases and the identification of 143,400 departures. More statistics on the contract can be found in the Immigration Enforcement transparency data, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-enforcement-data-may-2016The contract was signed in 2012 to run for four years and is due to expire this October.

Visas: Fingerprints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visa applicants to each visa application centre were fingerprinted before they travelled to the UK in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: All visa applicants are required to provide biometric information, including fingerprints, as part of the visa application process.Exceptions to this requirement are limited to individuals defined as exempt from immigration control; members of diplomatic missions based overseas travelling to the UK on an official visit; children under the age of five; and those who are physically unable to provide fingerprints (e.g. those who do not have fingers).The Home Office is unable to provide the specific information in the format requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: Identity Cards

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of migrants staying in the UK for more than three months did not have an ID card containing both their photograph and fingerprints in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information.Biometric residence permits (BRP) are issued to non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrants who are granted leave to come and stay in the UK for more than six months. The BRP contains the photograph and fingerprints of the holder. Since August 2015, all non-EEA nationals applying for leave for more than six months must also apply for a BRP.

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people not granted entry clearance or temporary admission were permitted to live in private accommodation before being deported in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were not granted entry clearance or temporary admission and were permitted to live in private accommodation absconded in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not record the number of persons who have been deported or who have absconded having been permitted to live in private accommodation.The Right to Rent scheme denies illegal migrants access to the private rented sector. It has been in operation in parts of the West Midlands since 1st December 2014, and across England since 1st February 2016. The scheme requires landlords to carry out checks on prospective tenants before they rent property to them, and to refuse a tenancy to anyone who cannot show that they have the right to rent. The scheme is not retrospective, and does not apply to tenancies which were in place before the scheme came into effect in the relevant area.Therefore, in order to keep the scheme light touch and in line with the Right to Work scheme, landlords (like employers) are not required to tell the Home Office when they have completed right to rent checks.

Asylum: Families

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question 32505, where the updated guidance on dealing with family reunion applications referred to in that Answer can be found.

James Brokenshire: The updated guidance on dealing with Family Reunion applications is currently being finalised and will shortly be available on GOV.UK at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/asylum-decision-making-guidance-asylum-instructions

Borders: Personal Records

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on e-borders before April 2006; and how much has been spent on e-borders and its successor programmes since April 2006.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has spent £860 million on the e-Borders and successor programmes since April 2006. Information prior to April 2006 is not available.

Ports: Security

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle smuggling and trafficking at British ports.

James Brokenshire: Border Force works closely with other law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and Police, to combat suspected human trafficking and people smuggling and to target and disrupt those who would attempt to smuggle prohibited and restricted goods such as firearms and illegal drugs in to the UK.

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the Metropolitan Police is of obtaining a transcript of the Southwark Crown Court trial of charges against Gumpal Viladi.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 14 June 2016



The cost of obtaining any court transcript depends on the length of the proceedings.The exact cost of the transcript in this case is unknown as no transcript has been requested to date by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Metropolitan Police

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Metropolitan Police have provided her with a copy of the memorandum of a conviction/order entered in the Register of Lambeth East Juvenile Court that records the proving on 1 April 1987 of offences or complaints by PC Markwick by a defendant aged over 16 on 7 November 1986.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 14 June 2016



The Metropolitan Police Service has not provided this document to the Home Office.

Refugees: Calais

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees currently housed in the refugee camp in Calais are unaccompanied children; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the asylum applications of those children are prioritised.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Calais

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees currently housed in the refugee camp in Calais have immediate family members already resident in the UK; and what steps are being taken to reunite those families.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Employment

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons people who have leave to remain in the UK while seeking permanent residence do not have the right to work.

James Brokenshire: Those with temporary leave to remain keep the conditions of that leave, including any associated work rights, until a new application is decided. Those whose leave to remain has already expired do not have permission to work and must normally make an application to regularise their stay within 28 days.

Offenders: Deportation

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has set a timetable for returning foreign national offenders remaining in UK prisons and communities to their countries of origin.

James Brokenshire: We aim to deport foreign national offenders at the earliest opportunity. We have removed 30,000 foreign national offenders since 2010, including 5,692 in the year 2015-16: the highest number since records began.

Domestic Violence

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that Home Office rules do not deter women who are victims of domestic violence from accessing protection.

Karen Bradley: Our new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy committed funding of £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence, helping to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners, delivering a secure future for refuges and other initiatives. We continue to offer support to victims of domestic violence through our Immigration Rules and signpost asylum seekers suffering sexual violence to relevant support services.

Immigration Rules

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Immigration Rules on facilitating family reunification.

Richard Harrington: The Immigration Rules support the principle of family unity and allow the spouse or partner and children of those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to reunite with them here, if they were part of the family unit before their sponsor fled their country. Under this policy we have reunited around 22,000 refugees with their immediate family over the past five years and will continue to do so.

Undocumented Migrants

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of General Policy Recommendation No.16, by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, adopted on 16 March 2016, that doctors, teachers, landlords and other social service providers should not be obliged to report illegal immigrants.

James Brokenshire: Access to social services, benefits, social housing, NHS secondary care services, employment and private rented accommodation is subject to eligibility rules and immigration status checks by providers. The Government would not accept or support any recommendation which would bar public officials or private service providers from reporting illegal immigrants to the Home Office.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Marine Vehicles

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard Royal Navy submarines from risks posed by underwater drones.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department (a) has allocated and (b) plans to allocate resources to study the potential threat posed by unmanned underwater vehicles to the SSBN fleet.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government takes its responsibilities for maintaining the integrity of our submarine fleet extremely seriously and dedicates considerable resource to ensuring that the credibility and standards for operational effectiveness will continue to be met. Our submarine fleet will not be rendered obsolete by new technologies, including developments in unmanned underwater vehicle technology. I am withholding further details as publication would prejudice or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces Covenant

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to adhere to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Mark Lancaster: The Covenant is a promise from the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly. The Covenant is delivered by Government Departments, Local Government Authorities, the Charitable Sector and Companies.Recent steps taken by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) include setting up a network of Armed Forces Covenant champions across the services and the launch of a new Covenant website and branding in January this year. We have been running the application process for the annual £10 million Covenant fund and the £25 million Aged Veterans Fund as well as reviewing applications for LIBOR funding. Work is also being undertaken with financial services providers to tailor their products for the Armed Forces community including Banking, Insurance and Credit History. Our engagement with Local Government Authorities to ensure that the Armed Forces Community can access the same services as other local residents has continued.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many merchant seafarers employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have retired in each year since 2008-09.

Mark Lancaster: There is no retirement age for Royal Fleet Auxiliary employees. I can provide the following numbers of those personnel who were aged 60 or Over on final date of service:  2008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162015202020303530  All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy.

Shipping

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on the potential effect of the recommendations of the Maritime Growth Study, published in September 2015, on the future supply of UK-domiciled merchant seafarers to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Penny Mordaunt: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) recruits and trains UK Merchant Seafarers for service with the RFA. The RFA as one of the largest trainers of UK seafarers is fully engaged with the UK Chamber of Shipping and Merchant Navy Training Board in shaping the current and future training requirements of seafarers. The RFA as part of the wider Naval Service is represented at the Ministerial Working Groups for the Maritime Growth Study by the Royal Navy.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many merchant seafarers were employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each year from 2008-09 to 2015-16.

Penny Mordaunt: The number of Royal Fleet Auxiliary employees on 1 Apr for each year 2008-09 to 2015-16 are as follows:  2008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162,2452,2752,3002,3301,9751,8901,8101,895  All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy.

Army Foundation College

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff at the Army Foundation College Harrogate who have direct contact with children have yet to be cleared by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently 393 permanent members of staff that have direct contact with Junior Soldiers (U18s) at the Army Foundation College Harrogate. All 393 staff have been cleared by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

War Pensions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to increase war pensions for veterans to correspond with the state pension triple lock.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2015 to Question 16781 to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Mr Jarvis).http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-11-18/16781/



16781-QnA extract on War Pensions
(Word Document, 14.35 KB)

HM Treasury

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to regulate the level of bank account charges in the last 12 months.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is clear that consumers must be able to access clear and transparent information about the charges that may apply to financial services products, including bank accounts. In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority requires firms to be clear, fair and not misleading when giving information to consumers, including on fees and charges. Following extensive Government negotiations with the banking industry on basic bank accounts, in January 2016 the UK’s nine largest banks and building societies implemented an agreement to end bank charges on those accounts when a direct debit or standing order fails. Basic bank accounts are now truly fee-free, helping people to manage their money without fear of running up an overdraft. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the retail banking market, including personal current accounts. In its May 2016 provisional decision on remedies, the CMA proposed requiring banks to take steps including: a monthly maximum charge for unarranged overdrafts; alerts to help customers avoid unarranged overdraft charges; improving comparisons by allowing customers to share data on transactions with other banks and trusted third parties; and regular prompts for customers to check that they are getting good value from their banking provider. The CMA will publish its final report on the retail banking market investigation by 12 August 2016. The Government stands ready to take action once the final report is published.

Treasury: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Harriett Baldwin: As part of the government’s transparency agenda, the department publishes on a monthly basis, information on payroll and non-payroll staff. The link for the requested years can be found below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/workforce-management--2?1  There are no civil servants contracted to the department who are paid through public limited companies.

Economic Growth

David Simpson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that every region in the UK benefits from future economic growth.

Greg Hands: Economic development in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations. At the 2015 Spending Review, the government announced that funding available for infrastructure investment via the block grant would rise by 12% in Northern Ireland, 14% in Scotland and 17% in Wales through to 2020-21. At Budget 2016 the government then committed an additional £220m of funding through the Barnett Formula to Northern Ireland, over £650m to Scotland, and more than £380m to Wales. The government is also empowering England to take responsibility for economic growth. By May 2017, over half the population of the North of England will have a powerful new directly elected mayor. £200m has been committed to Transport for the North, strategic investments have been made in science (including £235m for the Sir Henry Royce Institute,) and Hull has been backed as the 2017 City of Culture. The government is investing in growth in all parts of the country, for example through creating a Midlands Engine Investment Fund of over £250m. Meanwhile our business rate reforms offer local authorities across England unprecedented new levers to drive growth.

Child Benefit

Karin Smyth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in (a) Bristol South constituency and (b) England have re-applied for child benefit for a young person following that person's dropping out of an apprenticeship.

Karin Smyth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in (a) Bristol South constituency and (b) England have had child benefit stopped for a young person because that person took up an apprenticeship.

Damian Hinds: The information is not available.

Credit Reference Agencies: Standards

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the level of accuracy of the credit records held by credit reporting agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to require regular audits of the accuracy of records held by credit ratings agencies on UK nationals' credit history; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to require the Financial Conduct Authority to require credit rating agencies to improve their reporting of an individual's credit record; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: When consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014, the Government decided that, given their central role in helping to inform responsible lending decisions, CRAs should be directly regulated by the FCA. As such, every credit reference agency’s fitness to trade is being assessed as part of the FCA’s robust authorisation process Information on a credit report should be purely factual; for example, if arrears were incurred, those lenders who share data through the credit reference agencies will have recorded them. A credit reference agency is able to correct factually inaccurate information. However, it is the original lender or organisation that supplies credit to a consumer that provides the agencies with the information held on a credit report. Where inaccurate information has been reported to a credit reference agency, a consumer must contact the lender in the first instance. If a problem with inaccurate data is not resolved satisfactorily with a lender, consumers are able to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is able to investigate and take action where necessary. The ICO is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights, and it enforces the Data Protection Act.

Credit Reference Agencies: Standards

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when Ministers or senior officials of his Department last met with credit ratings agencies to discuss the accuracy of the credit record histories of UK nationals; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of companies and organisations to discuss relevant issues. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Credit Reference Agencies: Fines

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fines have been levied on credit rating agencies (a) in total and (b) for inaccurate reports of individuals' credit records; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: This question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redcar

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to provide any funding for a further assessment of the Redcar SSI site as recommended in the independent report, Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited, published on 7 June 2016.

Greg Hands: I welcome Lord Heseltine’s independent report on the Tees Valley following the closure of the SSI steelworks. As noted in the report, the Government is providing funding for an intermediate body to manage the site prior to the creation of the Mayoral Development Corporation, and is funding site assessments in 2016-17 in order to understand the scale and complexity of the SSI site. The case for any further Government funding will be considered in light of those assessments.

Air Passenger Duty

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the Government's response to the discussion paper on options for supporting English regional airports from the potential impacts of air passenger duty devolution, published in July 2015.

Damian Hinds: The Government is carefully considering the responses received to the discussion paper on options to support English regional airports from the potential impacts of air passenger duty devolution and will respond in due course.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Scotland

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many times she has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.

Amber Rudd: I visited Scotland in May 2016 for the inauguration of the Shetland Gas Plant, and again in June 2016 to attend the Oil and Gas Industry Conference. Details of meetings with external organisations will be published in due course at www.gov.uk.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy for the UK to reduce its actual greenhouse gas emissions by 61 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.

Andrea Leadsom: This Government remains firmly committed to the Climate Change Act, and to meeting our climate change target of an at least 80% emissions reduction by 2050. We are clear that this must be done while keeping our energy supply secure and low cost. Discussions on the fifth carbon budget (2028-2032) are continuing and we will make an announcement as soon as possible.

Coal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has received representations in the last 12 months on coal that has been or will be stockpiled in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: This is a matter for individual companies. The Department has not had any representations from individual companies on their plans for coal stockpiling.

Coal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the level of coal stockpiling in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC publishes data on coal stocks held in the UK. The table below shows the stocks held at the end of the last 10 years. This includes stocks held at electricity generators, ports and undistributed stocks held at coal mines. YearUK Coal Stocks at end of year (thousand tonnes)200617,210200714,155200817,246200924,091201016,885201116,041201213,003201314,287201418,6412015 (provisional)14,500 Source: Energy Trends Table 2.6, March 2016 available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends

Coal: Exports

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of potential levels of UK coal exports in each of the next five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential levels of UK coal exports in each of the next five years.

District Heating

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans she has to extend consumer protections to customers of district heating schemes.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Correspondence

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to respond to the letter of 3 June 2016, from offshore wind companies to EU energy ministers in the June EU Energy Council.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Independent Review

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Bonfield Review of consumer advice, protection standards and enforcement for energy efficiency and renewable energy to be published.

Andrea Leadsom: The Bonfield Review is an independent review, being led by Peter Bonfield. We expect the review to be published in the near future and will announce the date in due course.

Cabinet Office

Charities: Fund Raising

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department is making on tackling aggressive fundraising activities by charities.

Mr Rob Wilson: Last year the Government accepted the recommendations made in a sector-led review of fundraising regulation to support the setup of a new independent regulator with stronger sanctions and control of the code of practice.Since then there have been several positive changes. The Code of Fundraising Practice has already been strengthened in several areas. The law has been changed in the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 to better protect vulnerable individuals and encourage greater accountability. The Charity Commission has published updated fundraising guidance that emphasises trustees’ role in over-seeing fundraising. Many charities and their representative bodies are already taking their own steps to improve fundraising practices.The new Fundraising Regulator is due to open in July and will proactively ensure that charities fundraise to the high standards the public expect.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: The published Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) contains both the proportion of staff in the Cabinet Office that are (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff and the associated spend. The ARA for each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are available on gov.uk.The 2015-16 will be published in due course.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who are not eligible to vote in the EU referendum and who have received ballot papers in error are not able to use those ballot papers.

John Penrose: The EU referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the independent Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation governing the conduct of the poll. The Electoral Commission has recently issued a statement setting out the actions that have been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales. They will ensure that any postal votes which have been issued to electors who are not eligible to vote in the referendum will be cancelled and none of these electors will be shown as eligable on the electoral register to be used at polling stations on the 23rd June.

Public Appointments: Females

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people appointed to public bodies are women.

Matthew Hancock: The Government is committed to increasing the diversity of public appointments and​ has an​ aspiration that 50% of new public appointees should be women. We are making ​good ​progress, with 44% of new appointments made to women in 2014-2015, up from 39% the previous year. For many years, the figure on appointments was between 32-36%, 44% is the highest figure since records began.

Civil Servants: Disclosure of Information

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to promote a whistleblowing culture across the civil service.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to promote a whistleblowing culture in his Department.

Matthew Hancock: This Government has taken a number of steps to ensure effective whistleblowing practices are in place across Departments and to raise the profile and awareness of whilstleblowing. Updated and refreshed model whistleblowing policies are in place across all departments, providing information on sources of support available to whistleblowers, including access to employee assistance programmes, and advice on accessing legal support. In addition, we have improved support for Nominated Offices, and Departments have introduced dedicated whistleblowing hotlines and are publishing case studies on departmental intranet sites to build confidence that cases will be heard fairly and appropriately.The Cabinet Office has developed a new data collection tool to enable HR Directors to collect information on whistleblowing cases including how cases have been resolved, identification of systemic issues, and lessons learned. Departments are using this tool to report to their Departmental Boards, and to the Cabinet Office, on a 6 monthly basis.More details on action taken by specific Departments, including the first set of data collated by Departments, can be found in the Cabinet Office’s recent report to the Public Accounts Committee: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/public-accounts-committee/whistleblowing-recall/written/31692.html

Anti-corruption Innovation Hub

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the terms of reference are for the new Anti-corruption Innovation Hub.

Matthew Hancock: The Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub is a virtual network which brings together government, civil society, law enforcement, technologists and the private sector to share cross-sector expertise and new ideas on how to tackle corruption.

Anti-corruption Innovation Hub

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of staff will be recruited to form the Anti-corruption Innovation Hub.

Matthew Hancock: There will be a full time member of staff with additional support as part of joint commitment between the Government and Omidyar Network.

Anti-corruption Innovation Hub

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Minister will have responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the new anti-corruption strategy.

Matthew Hancock: Building on the UK's Anti Corruption Plan and the Prime Minister's successful summit, the UK has committed to develop a new national anti-corruption strategy which will provide a vision and framework for our domestic and international policy priorities. We are reviewing the governance arrangements for the strategy and will announce them in due course.

Cabinet Office: Vacancies

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many job vacancies in his Department have been reserved as internal posts in the last 12 months.

Matthew Hancock: For the 12 month period between 8/6/15 and 7/6/16, Cabinet Office advertised 26 vacancies for internal applicants on its intranet site. In the same period, 469 Cabinet Office vacancies were advertised on the Civil Service Jobs search internet page.

Public Appointments: Equality

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase diversity in public appointments.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The Centre for Public Appointments in the Cabinet Office supports departments on all issues relating to the diversity of public appointments. Steps we are taking to increase diversity include streamlining the application process​, placing an emphasis on ability over previous experience,​ and increasing awareness of opportunities by using a central website and social media.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to recommendation 2 on page 250 of the Report of the Macur Review, published in March 2016, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all government departments possess an accurate database of the documents and materials held by them.

Matthew Hancock: All government departments have record keeping systems in place, and The National Archives regularly conducts and publishes information management assessments of departments.

Taxation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers of his Department had to discuss tax evasion and avoidance between (a) 5 April 2016 and 5 May 2016 and (b) 6 May 2016 and 6 June 2016.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. In line with the practice of previous administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

Electronic Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the socio-demographic characteristics of users visiting the gov.uk website.

Matthew Hancock: GOV.UK does not collect socio-demographic data of users.

Electronic Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the customer satisfaction ratings were for the gov.uk website related to (a) content accuracy, (b) ability to find information, (c) proportion of users who found the website search tool good or very good and (d) proportion of users who got everything or most of what they wanted when visiting the website since 2012.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency plans his Department has in place in the event of a failure of all or part of the gov.uk website.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency plans the Cabinet Office has in place in the event of a high-volume of users causing a slow-down or failure of the gov.uk website.

Matthew Hancock: Since its launch in October 2012, GOV.UK has handled over 2.6 billion visits. The site needs to continue operating during major events. The GOV.UK website has been designed to handle issues and failures in a way which would not impact the public. We have robust incident management processes in place and regularly run disaster recovery simulations to test our response to any outages.When outages do occur, we investigate and learn lessons on how to mitigate them in future.

Electronic Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the annual running cost of the gov.uk website was in each year since 2012.

Matthew Hancock: The annual running cost of the GOV.UK website between financial year 2012/13 and 2014/15 is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/central-government-websites.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that those non-UK citizens who are not eligible to vote are not able to vote in the EU referendum.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will request that the Electoral Commission investigate the extent to which the electoral roll prepared for the EU referendum on 23 June 2016 contains citizens of EU countries who are not eligible to vote.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will request that the Electoral Commission investigate the extent to which the electoral roll prepared for the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU 2016 includes citizens of EU countries who are not eligible to vote.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that non-UK citizens who are not eligible to vote are not able to vote in the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

John Penrose: The EU referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation governing the conduct of the poll. The Electoral Commission has issued a statement setting out the actions that have been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales that meant that some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received poll cards and, in some instances, postal votes. The Commission explains that the software provider has resolved the issue and none of the affected electors will be shown as eligible on the electoral registers to be used at polling stations on the 23 June. Any incorrectly issued postal votes will be cancelled.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Robert Flello: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are resident in the areas covered by each clinical commissioning group in England; and how many births were recorded in each such area in each of the last three years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wales Office

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the library an unredacted copy of Lady Macur's review of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the abuse of children in North Wales.

Alun Cairns: No. Lady Justice Macur specifically cautioned Ministers against publishing certain groups of names, for example to protect against prejudicing pending and ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions. An unredacted version of the report has been provided to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by Justice Lowell Goddard, and was seen by representatives from Operations Pallial, Hydrant and Orarian.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate the level of structural funding that the EU Commission will allocate to (a) Wales and (b) the Valleys in the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what change there was in the amount the EU Commission proposed to make available in structural funds to Wales for the period 2014 to 2020 from the period 2007 to 2013; what steps his Department took to limit such a change; and if he will estimate the amount of such funding made available to Wales after 2020.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what change there was in the amount of funding the EU Commission made available in structural funds to (a) Wales and (b) the Valleys for the period 2014 to 2020 from the period 2007 to 2014; what steps his Department took to limit such change; and if he will estimate the level of such funding that Wales will be allocated after 2020.

Alun Cairns: I refer my hon Friend to the letter signed by the then Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable MP, on ‘European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund: UK allocations 2014-2020’.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf The post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework has not been proposed.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average proportion of GP's working time spent outside of the surgery is.

Alistair Burt: The information is not held centrally. As general practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors, it is for each practice to determine how they run their practice in order to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. The Department commissions a GP Worklife Survey and this is carried out by the Manchester Centre for Health Economics at the University of Manchester on behalf of the Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System (PRUComm). In 2015, respondents were asked to indicate how much of their time was spent on external meetings, for example, meetings of the clinical commissioning group. Responses show that GPs spend 8.4% of their time on administration, 3.5% on external meetings and 6.3% on other activities.The full report can be found at:http://www.population-health.manchester.ac.uk/healtheconomics/research/Reports/EighthNationalGPWorklifeSurveyreport/EighthNationalGPWorklifeSurveyreport.pdf

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of a quadrivalent vaccine programme for school-aged boys equivalent to that in place for school-aged girls; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: An estimate of the cost of extending the current programme to boys has not been made. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is currently considering the option of extending human papilloma virus vaccination to adolescent boys. Once the JCVI has reviewed the available evidence it will report its recommendations. This will inform any future policy to extend the current programme to adolescent boys.

Cancer

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the average waiting time between cancer referral and diagnosis in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold data on the average waiting time between cancer referral and diagnosis. NHS England collects data on cancer waiting times and these data are published on their website. The data comprise of organisational performance against operational standards that support waiting time commitments laid out in the NHS Constitution. These include the standard that 93% of patients should be seen by a specialist within a maximum of two weeks from urgent general practitioner (GP) referral where cancer is suspected. There are seven other cancer waiting time standards, but not one that measures waiting time between referral and diagnosis. A national time series can be found at the link below: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/Cancer-Waiting-Times-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Mar-2016-Provider-based.xlsx The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s cancer strategy for 2015-2020 recommended a new standard that patients should be diagnosed with cancer, or have cancer excluded, within 28 days of being referred by their GP. Test sites for this new standard are in the process of being identified.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of how many men who have sex with men will receive the HPV vaccination as part of the proposed pilot.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pilot areas his Department plans for the HPV vaccination for men who have sex with men; where his Department plans for those pilots to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: It is estimated that up to 40,000 men who have sex with men (MSM) who attend genitourinary medicine (GUM) and HIV clinics will be offered the human papillomavirus vaccination.There has been a positive response from those invited to participate, and confidence that the pilot will include a good geographical spread of providers, including those with the highest populations of MSM, as well as in rural areas with smaller MSM populations. Public Health England is currently completing the selection of the GUM and HIV clinics that will take part in the pilot.

Palliative Care

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings of the Royal College of Physicians' report, End of Life Care Audit: Dying in Hospital, published in March 2015, what steps his Department has taken to improve end-of-life care in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: We are committed to ensuring that everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their needs and preferences. The recent Royal College of Physicians’ audit showed steady improvement in the care people are receiving in hospital, but there are also areas where we could do better, including on ensuring round-the-clock access to specialist palliative care in hospitals, on record-keeping, and on involving people and those important to them in decisions about their care.The Government will shortly publish its response to the independent Review of Choice in End of Life Care which will set out actions to improve quality, choice and personalisation of end of life care, including in hospital settings. We are working with NHS England to ensure the results of the audit inform this process.

General Practitioners: Termination of Employment

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of GPs who have left the NHS since 1 January 2016.

Alistair Burt: The Department has not made any estimate of the number of general practitioners (GPs) who have left the National Health Service since 1 January 2016. The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) General and Personal Medical Services: England 2005-2015, Provisional Experimental workforce statistics published on 27 April showed that as at September 2015, there were 1,288 more full-time equivalent GPs working and training in the National Health Service than in September 2010. The HSCIC will be publishing these workforce statistics bi-annually, with data as at 31 March 2016 due for publication in September.

Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the proportion of people in the UK (a) who smoke and (b) from other EU member states who smoke.

Jane Ellison: The Department considers a range of published statistics relating to smoking prevalence in England. These are drawn together in the Health and Social Care Information Centre report Statistics on Smoking, England, which is available at the link below: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB20781 The Integrated Household Survey gives figures for the other United Kingdom countries and is available at the link below: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_418136.pdf Information on smoking prevalence in European countries is available from the World Health Organization European Region Tobacco Control Database at the link below: http://data.euro.who.int/Tobacco/

Pharmacy: Bradford

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pharmacies which will potentially be affected financially by planned changes to funding in the Bradford District Care Trust area.

Alistair Burt: The proposals on which we are consulting will apply to all community pharmacies providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services in England. Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. The Government believes these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. We have been consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

HIV Infection: Greater London

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of how long a person with HIV will have to wait to access psychosocial support in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority area following implementation of the proposed reduction in specialist HIV support services.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) capacity of and (b) skills and knowledge of local mainstream advice and advocacy services in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority area to be able to meet the support needs of local people living with HIV following implementation of the proposed reduction in specialist HIV support services.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to meet the (a) advice and advocacy and (b) psychosocial needs of people living with HIV in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority area following implementation of the proposed reduction in specialist HIV support services.

Jane Ellison: Support services for people living with HIV are commissioned by local authorities. We are advised by NHS England that the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham are currently consulting on a new service model, under which advice and advocacy, counselling and assessment and signposting services for people living with HIV would be provided by local non-HIV specialist services. We understand that the consultation exercise commenced on 9 May 2016 and is due to end on 28 June.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on the possible benefits of pre-exposure prophylaxis for preventing HIV exposure.

Jane Ellison: The Department has received various representations from Members of Parliament, Peers, stakeholders and some individual members of the public.

Department of Health: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Jane Ellison: The proportions of staff in payroll and non-payroll categories are presented in the table below. The information given is as at 31 March for each financial year. Payroll staff are civil servants who include employees, loans-in and fixed-term appointments. Non-payroll staff include agency workers, contractors and consultants. Proportion of StaffYearPayrollNon-Payroll2010-1183%17%2011-1287%13%2012-1385%15%2013-1491%9%2014-1591%9%2015-1694%6% Recent, more detailed information, provided on a monthly basis, can be found at the web-sites given below. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dh-monthly-workforce-information https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dh-workforce-information-2016

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the introduction of microscopic magnetic bead injections for the treatment of strokes.

Jane Ellison: There have been no such discussions.

Hospital Beds

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to reduce bed-blocking in hospitals.

Alistair Burt: To reduce bed-blocking we are working closely with NHS England, NHS Improvement, Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Department for Communities and Local Government, to provide a wide ranging package of support to help local areas improve transfers out of hospital and reduce delays. The Government is giving local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. In 2016-17, there is also a new Better Care Fund requirement on local areas to develop a clear, focused action plan for managing delays, including locally agreed targets. The requirement is designed to reduce delays across the health and care system.

Department of Health: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Jane Ellison: All civil servants employed by the core Department are paid via its payroll system.

Department of Health: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Jane Ellison: Data for 2015-16 will not be available until this year’s Annual Report and Accounts has been published.

Headaches: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to make the Cefaly headband for the treatment of migraines available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published interventional procedure guidance (IP) on transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve (which the Cefaly headband provides) for treating and preventing migraine in May 2016. Current evidence on its use raises no major safety concerns, but the evidence on its efficacy is limited in quantity and quality. The NICE has therefore recommended that this procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit or research.IP guidance does not consider how much the procedures would cost the National Health Service, or whether the NHS should allocate funding for them. These decisions are made at a local NHS level and usually on a case-by-case basis. This means that if the NICE has issued guidance recommending any given IP, the NHS is not obliged to provide it.

General Practitioners: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many medical consultations took place in GP practices in the Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group area in the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not collected centrally.

General Practitioners: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP premises in the Southampton local authority area are owned by the NHS Property Services.

George Freeman: The following table shows general practitioner practices based in NHS Property Services sites within the Southampton area. Site nameAddressTownCountyPostcodeTenureAldermoor Health CentreAldermoor CloseSouthamptonHampshireSO16 5STFreeholdShirley Health CentreGrove RoadSouthamptonHampshireSO15 3UAFreeholdLordshill Health CentreLordshill District CentreSouthamptonHampshireSO16 8HYFreeholdNewtown Health Clinic24-26 Lyon StreetSouthamptonHampshireSO14 0LXPart freehold/Part long leaseholdRoyal South Hants HospitalGraham RoadSouthamptonHampshireSO14 0YGFreehold

General Practitioners

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of (a) salaries, (b) pension contributions and (c) indemnity costs and other associated costs of running a GP practice.

Alistair Burt: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes an annual report on general practitioner (GP) earnings and expenses. The most recent report was published in September 2015 and covered 2013/14. The report showed that the average income of a contractor GP working under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract, or a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract in the United Kingdom in 2013/14 was £99,800. The average total expenses for GMS or PMS contractors in the UK in 2013/14 was £173,800. Source: GP Earnings and Expenses 2013/14, Health and Social Care Information Centre. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100.

General Practitioners

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps is he taking to make a career in general practice more attractive to medical graduates.

Alistair Burt: The ‘General Practice Forward View’, published by NHS England in April 2016, sets out actions to double growth in the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes work by Health Education England (HEE) to increase the number of medical school graduates choosing general practice. HEE is working with the Medical Schools Council, higher education institutions, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee to increase the profile of general practice in medical schools. A working group, chaired by Professor Valerie Wass OBE, will publish recommendations in summer 2016. HEE and the RCGP will continue to develop the current recruitment campaign to raise the profile of general practice as a career. The campaign showcases the variety of different opportunities and the flexibility of the specialty, as well as the central role that GPs play in the community and their patients’ care. HEE has recruited and trained 35 campaign ambassadors and advocates to support and promote national and regional activities including attendance at recruitment events and through social media.

General Practitioners: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the NHS England announcement of 21 April 2016 of £2.4 billion additional funding per year for GP care, what proportion of that funding will be allocated to Southampton.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total budget is for GPs in (a) Southampton, (b) the Wessex region and (c) England for each of the next five years.

Alistair Burt: The total planned revenue allocations for general practitioners (GPs) in England for each of the next five years is set out in the table below. 2015/16 Adjusted allocation2016/17 Proposed allocation2017/18 Proposed allocation2018/19 Proposed allocation2019/20 Proposed allocation2020/21 Proposed allocationTotal NHS England allocations to General Practice (£ bn)7.3427.6647.9658.2698.6439.122 The proportion of the total budget that will be allocated to Southampton and the Wessex region for general practice will depend on future decisions by NHS England and the local clinical commissioning groups.Local primary care allocations are published on the NHS England website at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pc-medical-allocations.pdfIn addition to NHS England revenue allocations, general practice also receives funding from other sources. For example clinical commissioning groups pay for GP Out of Hours services, locally commissioned services and some GP IT funding. The ‘General Practice Forward View’ document published in April 2016, estimated that once all of this funding from other sources was added to NHS England allocations, there would be around £9.6 billion of expenditure spent on GPs in 2015/16, rising to £12.0 billion by 2020/21, an estimated increase of £2.4 billion.

NHS Property Services: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will order a review to be undertaken of the administration and operational effectiveness of NHS Property Services in (a) West Sussex and (b) Mid Sussex.

George Freeman: Review of the effectiveness of NHS Property Services’ operations in all areas of the country is an ongoing process by the Company’s Board, which includes a Departmental senior civil servant as a Director, and by officials in the Department’s Commercial Division.

Hypertension

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the potential link between potatoes and high blood pressure.

Jane Ellison: No such discussions have been held.

Abortion

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the number of older women having abortions.

Jane Ellison: The Government’s A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England sets out as one of its ambitions reducing unintended pregnancies among all women of fertile age. Evidence shows that increased access to provision of the full range of contraception, particularly long-acting reversible contraception, can reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions in all women including older women. Local authorities are mandated to provide comprehensive, open access contraception advice and services.

Suicide: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential link between drug taking and suicide.

Jane Ellison: The report by Professor Louisa Degenhardt et al. published in The Lancet, Volume 382, Issue 9904, 9–15 November 2013, at pages 1564–1574 on “Global burden of disease attributable to illicit drug use and dependence: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010” found that suicide as a risk of amphetamine dependence accounted worldwide for 854,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) (291,000–1,791,000), as a risk of opioid dependence for 671,000 DALYs (329 000–1,730,000), and as a risk of cocaine dependence for 324,000 DALYs (109,000–682,000): http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61530-5/abstract The cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy, Preventing Suicide in England (2012), highlights the higher risk of suicide for people who misuse drugs and recommends local interventions through multi-agency partnerships to address this risk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england We welcome the independent Mental Health Taskforce recommendation that local areas should have local multi-agency suicide prevention plans in place by 2017.

Pregnancy: Fruit

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued on encouraging pregnant women to eat fruit.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England's Start4Life social marketing programme encourages pregnant women to eat a healthy diet that includes fruit. Its website includes information and guidance on healthy eating and fruit consumption, e.g. directing mothers-to-be to practical tools such as a 28 day plan for boosting fruit (and vegetable) intake during pregnancy, and can be accessed via: http://www.nhs.uk/start4life Start4Life’s Information Service for Parents email programme encourages the consumption of fruit via an easy ways to eat Five a Day digital tool, and promotes the Healthy Start food vouchers scheme, which enables young mothers-to-be and those on low incomes to get free fruit. Start4Life leaflets and posters are also available for healthcare professionals to order (free of charge) to help them give information on healthy eating and fruit consumption in pregnancy to their service users.

NHS Property Services: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the timeliness of NHS Property Services' (a) agreement and (b) delivery of building works at (i) Sidney West in West Sussex, (ii) Horsham Hospital and (iii) Crawley Hospital.

George Freeman: NHS Property Services (NHSPS) invests in its buildings to ensure they are safe and statutorily compliant. Additionally, it builds or refurbishes healthcare estates to change the estate to meet changing local healthcare needs where National Health Service customers indicate the need and commit to fund the revenue consequences of our investment. This ensures scarce capital funds are prioritised where the need is greatest. The following table summarises the capital projects underway, planned or proposed for Sidney West Primary Care Centre, Horsham Hospital and for Crawley Hospital. The Company’s primary customers for these projects are Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Horsham and Mid-Sussex CCG who commission clinical services and lead the development of Local Estate Strategies for the areas they cover. LocationProjectValueCurrent PositionSidney West Primary Care CentreDiagnostics refurbishmentTo be confirmedThis does not have an approved business case. Confirmation is being sought from the CCGs as to the specification of works they would wish us to undertake. Timescales for delivery cannot be confirmed at this point.Horsham HospitalLandlord works: Flooring, windows and roofing£0.61 millionNHSPS is investing in a package of landlord works within Horsham Hospital including the gym refurbishment, new flooring in key areas and the refurbishment of windows. The works will start in June 2016 and are expected to be complete in October 2016.Horsham HospitalMuskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)£1.20 millionNHSPS is currently delivering the final phase of the MSK programme. The £2.4 million construction works at Horsham and Crawley are being managed by NHSPS as a single project and are due for completion on 20 July 2016.Crawley HospitalMuskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)£1.20 millionPlease see above Horsham MSK position.Crawley HospitalSub-acute ward refurbishment£3.97 millionThis project is for development of a 26 bed step-up/step-down facility housed within the Crawley Hospital red wing 6th floor. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.Crawley HospitalTransforming Urgent Care refurbishment£4.53 millionThis project is for development of a combination of a clinical assessment unit, extend paediatrics, urgent treatment centre and an upgraded reception. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.Crawley HospitalLandlord works associated with the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care projects£0.70 millionSubject to the final approval of the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care customer projects NHSPS intends to invest in additional landlord works to ensure the supporting infrastructure matches the updated patient facilities.Crawley HospitalLandlord works: Fire compartmentalisation and safety upgrade£2.50 millionThe Crawley Hospital red wing is viewed strategically as the core building of the hospital complex. NHSPS is investing in essential landlord works to guarantee the safe and effective back office functions of the hospital infrastructure. Included within this scheme are a review and reconfiguration of fire safety zones, replacement of fire doors, removal of asbestos and improvements to the water supply system. These works will be complete in October 2016.Crawley HospitalTheatre Air Handling Unit lifecycle replacement£0.36 millionNHSPS has addressed the end-of-life-status of physical assets, with planned investment that future proofs the Crawley Hospital facilities. For example, the planned renewal of the theatre air conditioning systems which will accommodate increased theatre activity and utilise energy efficient systems to improve upon the previous infrastructure. Installation is expected to be completed in November 2016.

Children: Sleep

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to parents on recommended amounts of sleep for children.

Jane Ellison: NHS Choices provides guidance for parents on the amounts of sleep for children at different ages as well as advice and support for parents and children about sleep hygiene. There is no national guidance on evidence-based recommended sleep duration for children because of the significant variation between children and the focus of advice to parents is on good bedtime routines and how to prevent and respond to common sleep problems.The Start4Life Information Service for Parents includes advice on how to ease babies into good sleeping habits and dealing with common sleep problems. Content for the service is regularly updated and Public Health England (PHE) will continue to address the issue of sleep in children under five via the Start4Life Information Service for Parents.PHE has also developed specific advice resources on sleep issues for children and young people with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the MindEd programme.

Children: Computers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued on limiting the amount of time children spend on computers.

Jane Ellison: In 2011, the Chief Medical Officer warned of the need to minimise the time spent being sedentary and recommended increasing the physical activity levels of children. Public Health England (PHE) is actively working to support these recommendations. PHE also promotes ‘The Health Behaviour in School aged Children England national report’ which highlights current trends of screen time amongst 11, 13 and 15 year olds and refers to a recommendation by the American Academy of Paediatrics that young people’s screen time is limited to no more than two hours per day. The report can be accessed: http://www.hbscengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/National-Report-2015.pdf PHE published in 2013 the report ‘How healthy behaviour supports children’s wellbeing’ which communicates the significance of screen time amongst other health behaviours that influence the wellbeing of children. The report can be accessed: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/232978/Smart_Restart_280813_web.pdf The Start4Life Information Service for Parents sends timely, trusted National Health Service content to parents and parents-to-be via email and text from pregnancy until their child is five to provide information and support healthy behaviour change. The service highlights the importance of play and interaction with others for cognitive development in the under-2s and recommends that no time be spent in front of a screen at this age.

Chronic Illnesses

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of patients with long-term health conditions who cannot afford to pay the charges associated with their prescribed medication and subsequently require additional treatment.

Alistair Burt: We have made no such estimate. This information is not available in the format requested.

NHS Property Services: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake a review of the reasons for the length of time taken by NHS Property Services to take decisions related to property in (a) West Sussex, (b) Mid Sussex and (c) East Grinstead.

George Freeman: Officials at NHS Property Services (NHSPS) are not aware of any undue delays with regard to decision making in these areas. As a publically funded company, NHSPS takes its duty to ensure that properties are managed efficiently and that its services and transactions achieve best value both on behalf of the National Health Service and the taxpayer. NHSPS undertakes comprehensive due diligence on all property transactions to ensure all risks and liabilities are managed appropriately before legal documents are executed. Forthcoming planned work at East Grinstead Health Clinic forms part of a programme of works that is being worked up for 15 properties across Sussex. At East Grinstead, this is likely to focus on:― Equality Act compliance;― Fire safety improvement; and― Roof insulation. The following table summarises the capital projects underway, planned or proposed for the Mid and West Sussex area. The Company’s primary customers for these projects are Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Horsham and Mid-Sussex CCG who commissioner clinical services and lead development of Local Estate Strategies for the areas they cover.  LocationProjectValueCurrent PositionSidney West Primary Care CentreDiagnostics refurbishmentTo be confirmedThis does not have an approved business case. Confirmation is being sought from the CCGs as to the specification of works they would wish us to undertake. Timescales for delivery cannot be confirmed at this point.Horsham HospitalLandlord works: Flooring, windows and roofing£0.61 millionNHSPS are investing in a package of landlord works within Horsham Hospital including the gym refurbishment, new flooring in key areas and the refurbishment of windows. The works will start in June 2016 and are expected to be complete in October 2016.Horsham HospitalMuskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)£1.20 millionNHSPS are currently delivering the final phase of the MSK programme. The £2.4 million construction works at Horsham and Crawley are being managed by NHS PS as a single project and are due for completion on 20 July 2016.Crawley HospitalMSK£1.20 millionPlease see above Horsham MSK position.Crawley HospitalSub-acute ward refurbishment£3.97 millionThis project is for development of a 26 bed step-up/step-down facility housed within the Crawley Hospital red wing 6th floor. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.Crawley HospitalTransforming Urgent Care refurbishment£4.53 millionThis project is for development of a combination of a clinical assessment unit, extend paediatrics, urgent treatment centre and an upgraded reception. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.Crawley HospitalLandlord works associated with the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care projects£0.70 millionSubject to the final approval of the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care customer projects NHSPS intend to invest in additional landlord works to ensure the supporting infrastructure matches the updated patient facilities.Crawley HospitalLandlord works: Fire compartmentalisation and safety upgrade£2.50 millionThe Crawley Hospital red wing is viewed strategically as the core building of the hospital complex. NHSPS are investing in essential landlord works to guarantee the safe and effective back office functions of the hospital infrastructure. Included within this scheme are a review and reconfiguration of fire safety zones, replacement of fire doors, removal of asbestos and improvements to the water supply system. These works will be complete in October 2016.Crawley HospitalTheatre Air Handling Unit lifecycle replacement£0.36 millionNHSPS have addressed the end-of-life-status of physical assets, with planned investment that future proofs the Crawley Hospital facilities. An example the planned renewal of the theatre air conditioning systems which will accommodate increased theatre activity and utilise energy efficient systems to improve upon the previous infrastructure. Installation is expected to be completed in November 2016.

Care Homes: Mortality Rates

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department holds on adjusted mortality in care homes managed by each major provider.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not hold information centrally on adjusted mortality in care homes managed by each major provider.

General Practitioners

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on (a) ending the role of GPs in (i) assessing eligibility for bus passes, parking badges, housing and gym membership and (ii) other non-NHS work and (b) ensuring that such work is commissioned from other sources by the requesting organisation.

Alistair Burt: General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms, such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients. Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. Whether or not to provide these services is a matter for individual GPs. They may decline to provide them or charge a fee for doing so. Where GPs intend to charge for services to patients, the British Medical Association advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what accountability mechanics are in place related to decisions in Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints.

George Freeman: Each Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint is convened by a senior leader who has agreed to chair and lead the meetings on behalf of their peers. Each footprint has agreed its own governance and representation, depending on local circumstances and to ensure that all relevant National Health Service bodies and partners are included. An STP footprint supports organisations to come together to agree how best to improve and sustain services and health for their local populations. The local, statutory architecture for health and care remains. The arm's length bodies Regional Directors will retain accountability for delivery in their regions. Existing accountabilities for Chief Executives of provider organisations and Accountable Officers of Clinical Commissioning Groups are unchanged.

General Practitioners

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GPs are able to routinely to offer 15 minute, or longer, consultations where necessary for patients with greater needs.

Alistair Burt: It is important that practices are free to meet the needs of individual patients according to clinical need. Therefore there is no requirement on general practitioner practices to offer appointments of a specific length or a specific mix of workforce to meet population need. However, in recognition of the increased demands being placed on general practice, NHS England has: 1. Placed a requirement on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the NHS Planning Guidance for 2016/17 to develop and implement a local plan to address the sustainability and quality of general practice, including workforce and workload issues. This is the first time specific requirements have been placed on local commissioners to support and develop general practice.2. Provided advice about specific ways to invest in general practice for National Health Service leaders as they prepare Sustainability and Transformation Plans for the future. In both of these, there is a dual focus on maintaining quality and access to care in existing services, while also supporting the introduction of new ways of working. Areas where support is required include increased funding, growth and diversification in the workforce, development of premises and information technology, and specific help to develop networks and federations with patient benefit at their heart.The ‘General Practice Forward View’ released in April 2016, announced a major new programme of development and improvement support for practices over the next three years. This will help groups of practices to redesign care in order to simultaneously release staff time and improve care for patients. As part of the development programme, support and advice will be provided to federations and CCGs on ways to engage patients and voluntary and community sector groups as partners. This will help local people shape priorities, contribute to the co-design of improved services and build assets in the community.

General Practitioners: Insurance

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the financial burden of indemnity costs on general practice.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce indemnity costs on general practice.

Alistair Burt: The Department and NHS England committed in the recently published General Practice Forward View to review the current arrangements for indemnity cover for general practitioners. To take this review forward, a General Practice Indemnity Steering Group has been established by the Department with NHS England to look at the rising cost of indemnity, and to bring forward proposals for discussion by the end of July 2016.

General Practitioners: Finance

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what decisions have been made on the distribution of funding announced in the General Practice Forward View to reduce the immediate pressures in general practice.

Alistair Burt: The General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England on 21 April 2016, sets out that an extra £2.4 billion a year will be invested in general practice services by 2020/21, representing a 14% increase in real terms. This means that investment will rise from £9.6 billion a year in 2015/16 to over £12 billion a year by 2020/21. There will be a national £508 million five year Sustainability and Transformation package for general practice to help support struggling practices, develop the workforce, stimulate care redesign and tackle workload. This package will include: - £56 million, to include a new practice resilience programme starting in 2016/17, and the offer of specialist services to general practitioners suffering from burn out and stress;- £206 million for workforce measures to grow the medical and non-medical workforce;- £246 million to support practices in redesigning services, including a requirement on clinical commissioning groups to provide around £171 million of practice transformational support and a new national £30 million development programme for general practice.

Prescription Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS is not charged a premium price by pharmaceutical companies for general prescription drugs.

Alistair Burt: In the main, the National Health Service obtains value for money from the purchasing of medicines through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and the statutory scheme for branded medicines and through competition in the generic medicines market. Where we suspect that price rises are excessive, we can, and do, alert the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and ask it to investigate. My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, has asked the CMA to urgently look at the issues raised in the media recently as part of its continuing investigations into excessive drugs pricing.

NHS: Interpreters

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on interpreters in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the proportion of each Sustainability and Transformation Plan area's total place-based target allocation was calculated.

George Freeman: The proportion was calculated by adding together the place-based target allocation in 2020/21 for each of the clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas within a Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprint, and expressing that total as a percentage of the total national place-based target allocation in 2020/21.Figures by CCG area for place-based target allocations are available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/total-place-allocations.pdf

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate NHS England has made of the projected savings from the introduction of dose banding of chemotherapy drugs without affecting quality of care.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that the dose banding initiative forms part of its Specialised Commissioning Improving Value programme and can be considered as an expansion of current practice and direction of travel. The dose banding scheme has been primarily designed to deliver improvements in safety and quality of care.NHS England advises that the scheme does also have the potential to deliver efficiencies for hospitals and its initial estimate is that this could release up to £5 million of value to the health system.

Pharmacy: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2016 to Question 33132, when he plans to publish details of NHS support funding for community pharmacies under the Pharmacy Access Scheme.

Alistair Burt: We expect to publish further details on the Pharmacy Access Scheme at the beginning of July.

Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote integrated care in the NHS.

Alistair Burt: In 2014, NHS England published the Five Year Forward View, which included an account of five new care models designed to promote integrated service provision. 50 Vanguard sites are currently implementing a new care model, with the support of NHS England and the Department, and with a view to spreading lessons and best practice throughout the health system.In order to deliver the best outcomes for service users, integration within the National Health Service must be accompanied by integration with social care. The Better Care Fund (BCF), first implemented in 2015/16, is continuing in 2016/17 and requires local government and the NHS to create pooled budgets in every area in England, bringing local leaders and clinical experts together to plan how to spend a portion of their shared resources to provide a more integrated health and care system for local people.The BCF has laid the foundation for integration across the country, but the Government wants to go further, faster. The Autumn 2016 Spending Review set out the ambition that every area in England should integrate health and social care by 2020, with a plan for this in place by 2017. Achieving better integration within the NHS will be a key element of the broader ambition to integrate across the health and care system as a whole.

Palliative Care

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve end-of-life care over the next five years.

Ben Gummer: We are committed to ensuring that everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their needs and preferences.The Government will shortly publish its response to the independent Review of Choice in End of Life Care which will set out actions to improve quality, choice and personalisation of end of life care in the context of delivering the NHS Five Year Forward View throughout this Parliament.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the list of conditions eligible for a medical exemption certificate has been reviewed since its introduction.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to review the list of medical conditions eligible for a medical exemption certificate.

Alistair Burt: We cannot be sure from our records how many times the list of medical conditions which provide eligibility for a medical exemption certificate has been reviewed since its introduction in 1968. The most recent external review commenced in 2008 when the then Prime Minister announced the addition of cancer to the list of conditions which would be eligible for a medical exception certificate, and announced at the same time that there would be a review by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore on how to implement exemptions for all those with long term conditions. The report of the Gilmore review was published in May 2010, and it was announced in the 2010 spending review that the recommendations made in the report would not be implemented in light of the financial situation. There are no current plans to undertake a further review of the list.

Nurses

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) standard and (b) higher rate for NHS-funded nursing care is for 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: Following a recent review of the rate of NHS-funded Nursing Care (NHS FNC) in England, the Department has not yet announced the standard and higher rates of NHS FNC for 2016-17. We will make an announcement in due course.

Mental Health Services: Tottenham

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the mental health services budget is for people living in Tottenham.

Alistair Burt: We are advised by NHS England that allocated funding for mental health services in the Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group area, which includes the Tottenham constituency, is £34.192 million, of which £31.326 million is allocated to Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust.

Mental Health Services: Tottenham

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in implementing recommendation three of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, on local multi-agency suicide prevention plans in Tottenham constituency.

Alistair Burt: We are advised by NHS England that the approach to suicide prevention in the London Borough of Haringey, which includes the Tottenham constituency, encompasses a range of wider public mental health initiatives, some of which are targeting specific population groups that are known to be at higher risk of mental ill health and suicide. We are further advised that a multi-agency plan is being developed by the local Suicide Prevention Alliance led by the voluntary sector and supported by Haringey Council and Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group.

Medical Treatments

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 10 of NHS England's Strategic Framework for Specialised Services board paper, published in May 2016, what plans NHS England has to trial alternative reimbursement models for drugs and devices.

George Freeman: As set out in the NHS England Board Paper, improving the adoption of new technologies and treatments will be an important element of NHS England’s strategic framework for specialised services. As part of the work to develop that framework, NHS England will be working with a range of stakeholders to explore how alternative reimbursement models could be deployed, including in the context of the recommendations of the Accelerated Access Review due for publication this summer.

NHS: Temporary Employment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the capping of payments to NHS agency staff on levels of patient safety.

Alistair Burt: Patient safety continues to be paramount and the rules include a ‘break glass’ provision for trusts should there be a need to pay in excess of the agency price caps for patient safety reasons. Trust boards are responsible for monitoring the impact of price caps and ensuring patient safety. More broadly, the Care Quality Commission Chief Inspector of Hospitals has been clear that he wants to see fewer agency staff because of the patient safety implications - continuity of care being so important to good services for patients.

Pharmacy

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what resources his Department has allocated to assessing the counter-proposal to the Government's plans for community pharmacy published by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee in April 2016.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to respond to the counter-proposal to the Government's plans for community pharmacy published by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee in April 2016.

Alistair Burt: We have been developing our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond in discussion with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and other stakeholders. We welcomed the publication of the PSNC’s counter proposal which is being considered as part of the consultation process. Our aim is to communicate our final decisions early in July.

Nivolumab

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instruct officials of his Department to continue to work with the manufacturers of Nivolumab on ensuring that patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer can access that drug through the NHS.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising nivolumab (Opdivo) for non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. As part of its appraisal, the NICE has considered a patient access scheme (PAS) proposal from the manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb which has been agreed by Ministers. Departmental officials are open to discussing any further proposals regarding the PAS with the company. The NICE currently expects to publish its final guidance in September 2016. In the absence of the NICE guidance, it is for commissioners to make funding decisions based on the available evidence.

NHS: Temporary Employment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of hospital shifts that have not been filled as a result of the introduction of caps to the number of NHS agency staff since (a) November 2015, (b) February 2016 and (c) April 2016.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

NHS: Temporary Employment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of staff who have returned to permanent NHS jobs as a result of the introduction of caps on the number of NHS agency staff.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department. The latest NHS Workforce statistics (February 2016) are available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=20878&topics=1%2fWorkforce%2fStaff+numbers&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top

General Practitioners: Finance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's announcement, NHS England backs general practice with a multi-billion transformation plan, published on 21 April 2016, what formula his Department plans to use to determine the allocation of the £2.4 billion a year funding.

Alistair Burt: In December 2015, the NHS England Board published Allocation of resources to NHS England and the commissioning sector for 2016/17 to 2020/21, which set firm allocations for the years 2016/17 to 2018/19 and indicative allocations, to assist with planning, for the years 2019/20 and 2020/21. Part B of that paper is entitled Distribution of funds within each commissioning stream and paragraphs 34 to 38 describe the primary care allocation formula that was used to calculate the published allocations. Further details on the formula, including recent revisions and improvements to it, are outlined in annex E. Allocation of resources to NHS England and the commissioning sector for 2016/17 to 2020/21 is on the NHS England website at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/04.PB_.17.12.15-Allocations.pdf In January 2016, the detailed NHS England Allocations Primary Care (medical) figures for 2016/17 to 2020/21 were published for clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas. These show firm allocations for 2016/17 to 2018/19 and indicative allocations, to help with planning, for 2019/20 and 2020/21. The paper is available on the NHS England website at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pc-medical-allocations.pdf In addition, the 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) areas have received indicative allocations, which include: CCG expenditure on general practice, which is funded from CCG allocations; shares of general practice access funding; and also the mental health allocation, which will fund the additional therapists mentioned in the General Practice Forward View. Together the above account for around £2.1 billion of the £2.4 billion increase. There are a number of elements not included in the commissioning or STP allocations, including the Estates and Technology Transformation Fund (formerly the Primary Care Transformation Fund), capital funding and funding for general practitioner (GP) trainers and GP trainees. These other elements account for around £0.3 billion of the £2.4 billion increase, and it is yet to be determined how this funding will be allocated across the country.

Primary Health Care: Tottenham

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the primary care budget is for people living in Tottenham constituency.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's announcement, NHS England backs general practice with a multi-billion transformation plan, published on 21 April 2016, how much of the £2.4 billion a year funding will be allocated to GPs in (a) Tottenham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Haringey.

Alistair Burt: Primary care, dental, optometry and pharmacy services are commissioned by NHS England on a London-wide basis, therefore there is no figure available for borough-level funding. Primary care medical (general practitioner (GP) services) allocations have been published for the next five years on a clinical commissioning group (CCG) -basis, the uplifts for Haringey are in the attached table. The practice-level budgets for the GPs located within the Tottenham constituency total £18.4 million in 2016/17. These budgets are not set for future years but will be based on the practice-specific services and registered populations, as well as the national contract terms agreed in future years. They will benefit from the growth within the Haringey allocation as indicated in the table. There is a development under way for a new practice at Tottenham Hale for which the capital cost is £558,000 which will expand capacity within Tottenham. CCGs also commission additional medical services from GP practices from their own resources.



Practice-level budgets in Haringey
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.25 KB)

Nurses: Training

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37125, whether his Department has any plans to collect data on the number of student nurses that have already studied for a degree before entering nurse training.

Ben Gummer: The Department has no plans to introduce a new central data collection on the number of student nurses that have already studied for a degree before entering nurse training.

Pharmacy: Finance

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the final decisions on the Pharmacy Integration Fund.

Alistair Burt: NHS England is responsible for the oversight of the Pharmacy Integration Fund. Initial priorities for the Fund in 2016/17 will be to support urgent care services and enhancing the health of care home residents. NHS England will publish further details throughout the five-year period of the Fund.

Women and Equalities

Politics and Government: Females

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress the Government has made on its women's engagement programme.

Caroline Dinenage: The Coalition Government’s Women’s Engagement Programme engaged women in dialogue with government through a range of means including ministerial roundtables, consultation events, social media, an online newsletter and a four nations ministerial roadshow. We are currently considering options for building on this work and how we can effectively engage with women whose voices are less often heard. I also refer the MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood to the answer to PQ 34907, which sets out the Ministers for Women and Equalities' recent engagement with women’s organisations.

Voluntary Organisations: Females

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she has taken to implement the Government's policy on increasing the involvement of women's civil society in the development of government policy.

Caroline Dinenage: I greatly value the expertise of women’s civil society and the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities and I have met with many representatives since taking on our current roles. My officials also frequently consult the women’s sector on policy issues, including policy development, to ensure we benefit from the knowledge and understanding of relevant experts – for example on issues such as the gender pay gap, flexible working and gender diversity of company boards.

Voluntary Organisations: Females

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what criteria the Government uses in deciding which women's organisations to fund; how much funding the Government gave to women's organisations in each of the last three years; and which such organisations received funding from government in each of those years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government remains committed to gender equality. When appropriate we fund women’s organisations to carry out activities that further this aim. The criteria we use to determine which organisations to fund vary according to the policy aims that we are seeking to achieve.Some of the most significant funding streams for UK women’s organisations in the last three years have come from HM Treasury, the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government. HM Treasury has used £15 million collected from VAT on sanitary products to fund women’s charities – the grantees were announced in March 2016. The Department for Communities and Local Government also made available £250,000 to community and voluntary sector organisations as part of its Women’s Empowerment Fund in 2015-16 and continues to provide funding for refuges. Furthermore, the Home Office is providing funding to organisations and refuges supporting female victims of domestic and other forms of violence, as announced in the refreshed cross-Government strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls on 8 March 2016.

STEM Subjects: Females

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on encouraging regular trips to engineering firms, factories and laboratories by all-girls' schools to encourage girls to consider STEM careers.

Caroline Dinenage: We are committed to increasing the number of girls studying STEM subjects and considering STEM careers. That is why earlier this year we announced an ambition to increase the proportion of girls studying STEM subjects by 20% by 2020. We fully encourage engagement between schools and employers to inform and inspire all young people about STEM careers. This government wants to see improvements to the quality of careers advice and guidance available to young people, with many more schools and employers working together to provide excellent support. Helping all young people, regardless of background, get the inspiration and guidance they need for success in working life is a key part of this government’s commitment to delivering real social justice. Later this year, we will publish our careers strategy which will set out a clear vision and roadmap for our £90 million investment this parliament to improve careers education and guidance for young people. As part of this investment, we are funding the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to take a lead role in transforming the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people to inspire them and prepare them for the world of work. The CEC announced, in March, the successful bidders to the £5 million careers and enterprise investment fund, some of which have a specific focus on STEM. The fund will boost provision for nearly 250,000 young people across England in 75% of the areas the company has identified as ‘cold spots’. The government supports the STEM Ambassadors Programme with a network of over 32,000 volunteers from STEM companies and academia who inspire schoolchildren about STEM careers. We also support the industry led Your Life campaign which aims to transform perceptions of STEM subjects by showing young people the range of careers they can pursue.